Lehsuni Dal/Garlic Flavored Lentils...lets keep the vampire away!!

"There is no such thing as a little garlic."

And I completely agree...so if you don’t like garlic, please move on to next post as this one is surely not for you…Lehsuni Dal (Garlic Flavored Lentils), a typical North Indian staple lentil curry…can be made in various combinations or with different dals – Masoor or Mung Dhuli or Arhar dal or a mix of any two. The flavor changes a little with every dal but one thing that remains constant is the aroma of garlic

Lehsuni Dal (Garlic Flavored Lentils)

Ingredients:

• Dhuli Masoor dal/Red lentils, 1 cup
• Water, about 2 -2 ½ cups
• Tomatoes, finely chopped, 2-3 large
• Turmeric, ½ tspSalt, to taste
• Desi ghee/ Oil, 1-2 tbsp
• Cumin seeds, 1 tspGarlic, finely chopped, 8-10 cloves
• Green Chilies, slit, 2-3
• Asafoetida, ¼ tsp
• Fresh Coriander, chopped, to garnishLemon juice, a little, optional

Instructions:

Wash the dal until water runs clear. Let it soak for 5-10 minutes. 

Cook till dal is soft and mushy in a pressure cooker/ pan with water, salt, turmeric and tomatoes.

Open the pressure cooker and check the consistency of the dal – keep it a little thick if serving with roti/ flatbread and a little runnier if serving with rice.

Once the dal is cooked, prepare the tempering.

Heat ghee in a small pan over low heat. Add cumin seeds and green chilies, Cook till cumin sizzles. Add in the garlic ; fry, stirring frequently, till garlic goes light golden brown. Please ensure that garlic doesn't burn. Add in the asafoetida and switch off the flame. Pour this mix into the dal along with fresh coriander. 

Gently stir and serve piping hot. Add a squeeze of lemon, if using, at the time of serving.

And like earlier dal posts, let’s also see a picture of Dhuli Masoor Dal taken from the net...we already know what Mung Dhuli Dal is from  here and which one is Arhar dal from here