Dal

Yesterday I made some delicious dal based on a recipe in Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions. Here's what I did:

Dal
Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups lentils
• 2 tablespoons whey or lemon juice (I used whey that was left over after straining homemade yogurt.)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup ghee (clarified butter)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 2 small hot peppers, seeded and chopped (I used Serrano peppers.)
• 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
• sea salt

Directions

1. Cover lentils in warm water. Stir in whey or lemon juice and let sit for 7 hours in a warm place.
2. Drain, rinse, and place in a pot. Add water to cover and bring to a boil.
3. Skim off the foam that rises to the top.
4. Add turmeric, pepper, and garlic.
5. Simmer, covered, for about an hour or until lentils are very soft.
6. Remove lentils from heat and beat with a whisk until creamy. (Mine didn't get very creamy.)
7. Meanwhile, sauté cumin seeds and chiles in ghee until chiles are soft.
8. Add chile/cumin seed/ghee mixture to lentils and stir.
9. Season to taste.

I enjoyed this dish at several meals. It is especially tasty topped with homemade yogurt and avocado.