Tarka Daal

Saturday's curry really hit the spot and this is the daal dish I served with it.  I adore this recipe as it is so so simple.  Don't be put off by the amount of water used, just whack up the heat and let it bubble away. I could eat this on its own! Recipe courtesy of Cracking Curries. 

Ingredients

1 mug channa daal or yellow split peas

4 mugs water

6 cloves garlic, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 inch ginger, chopped or grated

2 teasp cumin seeds

1 teasp ground coriander

1 teasp chilli powder, to taste

1 teasp salt

Handful of coriander, finely chopped

Half an onion, peeled and sliced. 

Method

Wash the daal a few times, drain and then put it in a large pot. Add the 4 mugs of water. Turn the heat to high. Add all the spices, the garlic, tomatoes and ginger.  Bring to the boil, cover and let it bubble away on a medium to high heat for around 40-45 minutes. Make sure it’s bubbling away or it will take longer to cook. Don’t be afraid of the high heat – there’s a lot of water in there to get rid of. Be brave! Halfway  through cooking, taste the cooking liquid and adjust the chilli, salt or spices if you need to. Cook it to the consistency you like. A few more minutes to thicken it. You can always add a bit of water to thin it out. Take off the heat, add the chopped coriander. Mix very gently once.Transfer into serving bowl. Fry the onions in a tablespoon of olive or vegetable oil until dark golden brown then scatter over the top of the daal, without mixing. Serve with chapatis or roti and enjoy!