lemony lentils (dal)

Adapted from Alison Roman’s “Lentils with Fried Lemon and Garlic.“

Ready in 30 minutes

Serves 3-4 people

Ingredients

• 3 TABLEspoons fat of preference: coconut oil or ghee to stay true to dal, olive oil or butter if it’s what you have
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 lemon
• 3 scallions
• ½ bunch of cilantro
• Salt
• ½ TEAspoon turmeric
• 1 cup dried red or yellow lentils
• 4 cups water

Directions

Click on each bullet point to expand more detailed instructions.

Thinly slice garlic, lemon, and scallions. Finely chop cilantro.

1. With the flat side of a large chef’s knife, gently crush the garlic cloves until their paper skins pop off. Remove skins. Slice garlic as thinly as is possible for your fine motor skills.
2. Slice lemon in half through the equator (so the stem is on one half and the little nubbin is on the other). Set aside one half for later use in a different dish. Cut the remaining half through the nub or stem, then thinly slice into half-moons. Remove seeds as you encounter them.
3. Thinly slice scallions (typically white and light green parts only, though I think the dark green tastes just fine).
4. Finely chop cilantro leaves and stems, running your knife back and forth over the cilantro until it is minced to your liking.

Toast garlic and lemon in oil over medium heat, 3-4 min. Add scallion and cilantro, season with salt, and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add turmeric.

1. Place a medium pot over medium heat on the stove. Add oil of choice and heat until shimmering or until smell grows stronger, about 30 seconds to a minute.
2. Once oil is hot, add garlic and half of the lemon slices. (The other half will be used for topping at the end.) Stirring occasionally, let cook until garlic is starting to turn golden brown and lemon slice edges are beginning to caramelize/also turn golden brown. This should take about 3-4 minutes but will depend on how hot your stove is, so stay close to make sure it doesn’t burn.
3. Add the scallion and 3/4 of the chopped cilantro, saving the remaining ¼ for topping. Season with a large pinch of salt, about ½ a teaspoon. Stir and cook until scallion and cilantro have softened, about 1-2 minutes.
4. Using your spoon or spatula, nudge garlic mixture to the sides of the pot to create an empty space in the middle. Sprinkle turmeric here and allow to toast for a minute or less. Stir to combine.

Add lentils and water. Season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened to preference, about 15-20 minutes. Serve over rice with remaining sliced lemon and cilantro stems.

1. Add lentils and water to pot and season with another large pinch or half teaspoon of salt. Stir to combine.
2. Bring water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer by turning heat down to medium-low. Let simmer, stirring about every 5-7 minutes, until lentils have broken down into the consistency you prefer. Add water and salt as needed to achieve desired flavor and consistency.
3. Remove lentils from heat. Serve with rice, topping with the sliced lemon half-moons and cilantro stems. Optional: drizzle with oil of choice and grind fresh black pepper on top.
4. Enjoy!

How To’s

1. How to use this best:
   • Use leeks or diced red onion in place of scallions. (I prep, chop, and freeze leeks all winter long, so subbing in leeks makes this more of a “pantry” recipe for me.)
   • After allowing to cool completely, freeze remaining dal. Freezing can sometimes break down legumes, making it not the best choice for dishes where you want your beans to stay whole, but in this case breaking down the lentils further is only a benefit. Possibly a good application for this kind of thing.
   • Add other toppings – if you’re feeling energetic, make chhonk, which cookbook author Priya Krishna refers to as “the greatest Indian cooking technique ever.” It’s spices toasted in clarified butter, so pretty hard to go wrong.

love you stay fed!