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Daal (Bengali Lentil Soup)

September 19, 2012

This is the quintessential Bengali side dish. The ultimate comfort food. It’s on every dinner table…from the most affluent of households to the most modest. When you invite someone near and dear to you, you always entice them with the promise of “daal bhat” (rice and lentils).

I hadn’t realized how extensive the ingredient list was for such a simple dish as daal. Mine is a bit heavy on the garlic (’cause let’s face it…the lentils themselves don’t have much flavor). The tomatoes and cilantro add freshness. To add depth of flavor, daal is traditionally made with panch phoron, added right at the end. Panch phoron is a Bengali blend of five different seeds: mustard, nigella, asafoetida, fenugreek, and cumin. It toasts up in the oil with the fried onion at the end to enhance its flavor. The combination of spicy, licoricey and earthy flavors give it a distinctly Bengali flavor.

IMG_6342

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup split red lentils
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 green (thai) chili
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/4 cup diced tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • half a small yellow onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 pinch pach forom (optional)
  • small handful cilantro (about 1/4 cup, optional)

Directions

Rinse the lentils 2-3 times in cold water. Then, combine with water, garlic and chilli and bring to a boil over high heat (cut a slit into the chili pepper to let some of the flavor out). When it comes to a boil, lower the heat (otherwise it boils over like milk) and bring to a simmer. Spoon off some of the foam on top.
Add the turmeric, salt and tomatoes. Let simmer for about 15 minutes, or until lentils are cooked through. Optional: at this stage you can break up the lentils with a daal ghutni or an immersion blender (taking care to remove the chili and garlic) to give it a smoother consistency.
While lentils simmer, thinly slice the onion and fry until brown over medium heat. Mince the last garlic clove and add it to the onions for the last 30-45 seconds. Finish with chopped cilantro. Taste for seasoning.
Serve over rice.

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6 Comments · Labels: Bengali, Protein, Recipes, Side

Trackbacks

  1. Spinach and Tuna Sauté | tuttifoodie says:
    August 30, 2013 at 2:35 pm

    […] would still taste great with just the garlic, salt and pepper. You can serve this with rice and daal. It would also be great on some crusty bread with a little bit of grated cheese (gruyere, fontina), […]

    Reply
  2. Curried Shrimp & Okra | tuttifoodie says:
    September 17, 2013 at 2:17 am

    […] over for a traditional Bengali meal in our tiny Roman apartment, usually consisting of rice, daal, chicken curry and some sort of fried veggie or salad. Then go out for gelato. Yeah, we knew how […]

    Reply
  3. Curried Shrimp & Okra | Kitchen 3N says:
    September 27, 2013 at 3:40 am

    […] over for a traditional Bengali meal in our tiny Roman apartment, usually consisting of rice, daal, chicken curry and some sort of fried veggie or salad. Then go out for gelato. Yeah, we knew how […]

    Reply
  4. Spinach and Tuna Sauté | Kitchen 3N says:
    September 27, 2013 at 3:43 am

    […] would still taste great with just the garlic, salt and pepper. You can serve this with rice and daal. It would also be great on some crusty bread with a little bit of grated cheese (gruyere, fontina), […]

    Reply
  5. Sambar | kitchen3n says:
    January 29, 2014 at 4:45 pm

    […] daal, as is traditionally used in sambars. No coconut or curry leaves. This is basically my usual daal, but with the addition […]

    Reply
  6. Bottle Gourd or Calabash Sauté (Lau Bhaji) | kitchen3n says:
    September 22, 2015 at 3:56 am

    […] In a large non-stick wok or sauté pan, heat oil over medium high heat. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, garlic and dried chilis. Cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds – you don’t want it to burn). Open up your windows, too. Toasted chilis make you cough up a storm! Add the sliced gourd, turmeric and salt. Cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until cooked through: about 15 minutes. If the veggies start to brown, reduce heat to medium and keep stir-frying. Check for seasoning (salt). Top with chopped cilantro. Serve alongside rice and daal. […]

    Reply

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