There's a specific kind of tired you get after a day of staring at a screen and arguing with a client about whether "bespoke" is still a word people respect. It's the kind of tired where takeaway starts to look like a perfectly reasonable life choice. This dal is my answer to that. It uses things I almost always have in the cupboard, it takes about half an hour, and most of that time you can spend sitting down.
It also costs very little, which matters when you're freelancing and payday is more of a vague rumour than a date.
It also costs very little, which matters when you're freelancing and payday is more of a vague rumour than a date.
Ingredients (serves 2 generously, or 3 with rice and bread)
- 200g red lentils, rinsed until the water runs mostly clear
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed or grated
- A thumb of ginger, grated (or a teaspoon of the stuff in a jar - no judgement)
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- Half a tin of chopped tomatoes
- About 800ml water or weak vegetable stock
- A big handful of spinach (frozen is fine)
- Juice of half a lemon
- Salt
For the tarka: 2 tbsp butter or oil, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp mustard seeds if you have them, a pinch of chilli flakes, and 1 clove of garlic, thinly sliced.
Method
- Soften the onion in a little oil in a large pan over a medium heat for about 8 minutes, until it's soft and starting to turn golden.
- Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute, then stir in the turmeric and ground cumin.
- Add the lentils, tomatoes and water. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer and leave it alone for 20 minutes, stirring now and then so it doesn't catch on the bottom. Add a splash more water if it gets too thick.
- When the lentils have broken down into something soft and soupy, stir in the spinach until it wilts, then season well with salt and add the lemon juice.
- For the tarka, heat the butter or oil in a small pan until it's properly hot. Add the cumin and mustard seeds; when they start to pop, add the sliced garlic and chilli flakes and fry for 30 seconds or so, until the garlic is just golden. Pour the whole sizzling lot over the dal.
A few notes
The tarka is the bit that makes it. You can skip it if you're truly exhausted, and the dal will still be perfectly nice, but those 90 seconds turn it from "fine" into something you actually look forward to.
Don't be shy with the salt. Lentils soak it up, and an under-seasoned dal tastes of disappointment.
It keeps well in the fridge for three or four days and freezes brilliantly, so it's worth making a double batch. Future you, coming home late and miserable on a Thursday, will be very grateful.
I eat it with rice, or with a flatbread warmed in a dry frying pan, or occasionally straight out of the pan with a spoon while standing up in the kitchen. All of these are valid.
Don't be shy with the salt. Lentils soak it up, and an under-seasoned dal tastes of disappointment.
It keeps well in the fridge for three or four days and freezes brilliantly, so it's worth making a double batch. Future you, coming home late and miserable on a Thursday, will be very grateful.
I eat it with rice, or with a flatbread warmed in a dry frying pan, or occasionally straight out of the pan with a spoon while standing up in the kitchen. All of these are valid.
