rabfish's birthday daal

Rabfish was kind enough to send me the recipe for the yummy daal she made at her birthday party last week. mmm, I'm looking forward to trying it out!

Measure out one heaped cup of daal into a bowl, rinse several times with water, let soak in water while making masala. Works for all kinds of lentils--red, brown, split green, etc etc.

Use pot big enough for several cups of water.

Masala:

chop up one onion
finely mince three garlic cloves and 1/2 - 3/4 inches of ginger
fry above in pan with oil or butter
when it looks like the onions garlic and ginger are starting to darken and caramelize then add a bit more oil and these spices (the following amounts are approximations of what I used, add according to your taste):
coriander seeds (one teaspoon ish) (first crush them, like with the back of a spoon)
cumin seeds (one teaspoon)
mustard seeds (one heaped teaspoon)
(let the seeds roast in the pan for a minute or two, then add the following)
cayenne pepper or chilli powder, whichever you prefer, to taste
a ltitle bit of black pepper to taste
turmeric (1/2 - 3/4 of a teaspoon)
a few dried pomegranate seeds if you have them
one bay leaf
just under one teaspoon salt
finally add 1/4 - 1/3 cup of diced tomatoes, canned or fresh

cook masala with tomatoes until scent thoroughly permeates hair and apartment (approx three min--it will look dark and yummy, add tomato-water so it doesn't dry out) add washed lentils with two to three cups of water, stir. Cook on medium heat until lentils no longer raw, stirring occasionally, keeping partly covered. Add water as needed. (The amount of time always varies for me, but it is at least 15 min, usually more like 1/2hr). Add squeezed lime or lemon to finished daal if you like it tart. If you prefer your daal creamy add cream. Sprinkle chopped cilantro on top, serve with rice and yoghurt.

enjoy!