Food Diaries | The Best Red Lentils

Disclaimer: Ok, Nigar hates this one- the only daal she'll ever eat is brown lentils. She doesn't eat/like certain things just because. I love this daal, the hubby loves it and mum loves it. Dad doesn't like anything that he hasn't cooked. 

So red lentils (or masoor daal) cook really fast and are super good for you. They're high in folate, fibre, copper, phosphorous, manganese, iron, protein, vitamin Bs. zinc, and potassium. They're part of  the legume family and are virtually fat free. There are studies to show that legumes reduces risk of death from cardiovascular incidents by a great deal. They taste great and are really filling. This recipe takes all of 9 minutes. That's right, in under 10 minutes you could have a hot steaming bowl in front of you cooked from scratch. You need a pressure cooker. It's a simple recipe, you dump all the ingredients in, stir and close the lid. 

 Ingredients: 

1 tablespoon crushed mustard seeds

1 tablespoon minced/grated/pureed garlic

1 heaped teaspoon minced/grated/pureed ginger

2 chopped tomatoes

handful of chopped coriander

1 tablespoon of oil (I use coconut) 

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1-2 teaspoon chilli flakes

1 teaspoon paprika

half teaspoon turmeric powder

green chillies, chopped 

1 cup red lentils 

4-5 cups water 

1 teaspoon salt 

Method: 
1. Put your pressure cooker on a medium heat

2. Satuee garlic and ginger (about 30 seconds)

3. Add mustard seeds + all the spices, Cook (30 seconds) 

4. Add tomatoes and coriander, stir (30 seconds) 

5. Add lentils and water (use 4 if you like lentils thicker, and 5 if you like it more watery, you can add more after it's cooked if it's too thick for your liking), Stir 

6. Close your pressure cooked and put your timer on for 7 minutes, Wack on the heat to full.

7. After 7 minutes, turn it off, open your cooker as how you usually do and add 1 teaspoon of salt, mix and garnish with some more coriander leaves and stuff your face! 

If you don't have a pressure cooker, just sautee for a bit longer after you add the tomatoes to make sure it's cooked down, and cook for about 45 mins. I like adding salt last as otherwise I find it increases the cooking time. Even if you double the recipe, add just an extra minute on the timer.

It's honestly the best masoor daal I have ever tasted. We make this more than a few times during the week as it taste great eaten as a soup, or with roti, or with rice. It's great for when you've got a cold and need to kick its butt, as the spices have medicinal properties. 

What's your favourite daal? 

Make this, I promise it's just absolutely perfect, and none of the spices are overpowering.