Serves: 4
Total Calories: 654

1 tablespoon Basic Ginger-Garlic Paste or store-bought
2 teaspoons Bengali 5-Spices or store-bought
1 cup red lentils (dhulli masoor dal), sorted and washed in 3 to 4 changes of water
4 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 fresh green chili pepper, such as serrano, minced with seeds
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground paprika or cayenne pepper
1 to 2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons mustard oils or peanut oil
4 to 6 whole dried red chili peppers, such as chile de arbol

1. Prepare the ginger-garlic paste and the 5-spices mixture. Then, place the dal, water, turmeric, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the dal, stirring occasionally and watching carefully that it doesn't boil over, about 10 minutes.

2. Add the onion, ginger-garlic paste, green chili pepper, coriander, cumin, paprika (or cayenne pepper), and sugar, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the dal is soft and creamy, about 15 minutes. Remove to a serving dish, cover, and keep warm.

3. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the red chili peppers, stirring, about 30 seconds (stand back in case they burst). Then add the panch-phoran they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Immediately, pour over the hot dal and swirl lightly to mix, with parts of it visible as a garnish and serve.

From "1,000 Indian Recipes." Copyright 2002 by Neelam Batra. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 4
Total Calories: 654
Calories from Fat: 80

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Chickpeas in Traditional Curry Sauce
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Dry-Cooked Green Split Peas
Dry-Cooked Red Lentils with Cumin Seeds
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