Dal Bhat Recipes

DAL BHAT

Steps:

• Wash the lentils and rinse, historically this step is to remove stones, but most of us don't have that problem. If you're using larger, slower cooking lentils, you may like to soak them overnight first to speed up cooking. Put the rice on to cook when appropriate. I prefer to use a rice cooker for this. Chop your onion, garlic and ginger and tomato. Heat oil on high in a large pan. Add your chopped onion, garlic, and ginger, and stir on high heat until the onion is golden. Grind your cumin, turmeric, peppercorns, cardamom, and coriander to make a spice mix. Stir in the spice mix. Turn the heat down to medium (6 out of 10 on our stove), and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. This step is important, spices must be tempered in oil, always. Pop the mustard seeds in oil in a hot frying pan and add to the mix. Add chopped tomato and butter or ghee (optional). Stir, cover and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the lentils and cook in the oil/butter for 5 minutes. Don't scrimp on the oil or butter. Be careful they don't stick at this stage. Add water, and boil as per cooking instructions for your chosen lentil. Season with sea salt and white pepper if needed. Wash your coriander leaf and/or green onion. Chop for garnish. When your lentils' cooking time is up, your dal is ready to serve. Present with the rice, popadums, garnish, vegetables, curd and pickle. The dal should be served in a small soup bowl as above

BENGALI DHAL

Steps:

• Wash the lentils in a strainer. Combine the lentils and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add half of the sliced onions and garlic, reserving the rest for later. Stir in the turmeric, bay leaf, tomatoes, and salt. Add the chiles, leaving them whole to add flavor or cut in half to add heat. When the mixture begins to boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the lentils break apart and thicken slightly, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat until the oil shimmers. Add the reserved sliced onions; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, and continue cooking and stirring until the onion is very tender and dark brown, 15 to 20 minutes more. Stir in the rest of the chopped garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is fragrant and tender, about 2 minutes.
• Pour the contents of the skillet into the cooked lentils and stir. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

DAL BHAT (RED LENTILS WITH RICE)

Steps:

• Wash the lentils and rinse a couple of times. Be careful to remove any stones. If you have time, soak the lentils in water as long as you can, up to overnight, before you cook. They get very soft and cook faster.
• Start rice preparation according to package directions.
• Prep the onion, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, and cilantro/green onion and set aside.
• Heat oil on high. Add ginger, garlic and onion, and stir fry on high until the onion is a little brown on the edges, 1-2 minutes. Stir in cumin seeds, salt , turmeric, mustard seed and coriander powder. Turn the heat down to medium and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add tomatoes and butter. Stir, cover with lid and cook for 4 minutes. Stir in the lentils, cover and cook for 5 minutes. After cooking for 5 minutes, add one cup of water, cover with lid and cook for 5 more minutes. When the 5 minutes are up, stir in 2 more cups of water, as the water will begin to decrease as you cook. Continue cooking on medium for 10 minutes. The dal should be cooked and ready to serve. If not tender, cook a little longer, adding more water if necessary.
• Sprinkle the chopped cilantro and/or green onion on top of the dal and serve with or on top of the rice. It is typical to serve with chutney or spicy peppers.

SWEET-AND-SOUR DAL BHAT

Steps:

• Dal:
• Bring tomato, toor dal, salt, and 8 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, skimming foam from surface and stirring occasionally, 8-10 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring and skimming occasionally, until dal are very soft but not disintegrated, 45-60 minutes.
• Meanwhile, process chiles and ginger in a food processor to a coarse purée, about 1 minute. Transfer to a 2-cup measuring glass or a medium bowl; stir in jaggery, lime juice, chile powder, and turmeric. Set seasoning mixture aside.
• Once dal is done, mix in reserved seasoning mixture and simmer until flavors are melded, about 5 minutes. Blend dal with an immersion blender or in a blender until smooth; it should be about the consistency of heavy cream.
• Do Ahead: Dal can be made 3-4 hours ahead. Cover and keep warm.
• Rice and assembly:
• While the dal is cooking, place rice in a medium bowl and cover with cold water. Swish around with your fingers to remove surface starches, then drain through a sieve or colander. Repeat process until water runs clear, about 4 or 5 changes of water.
• Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a medium pot over medium. Add rice and stir to coat grains in oil. Add 4 cups water and bring to a boil over high; reduce heat to low, cover pot, and cook 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Just before serving, heat remaining 7 Tbsp. oil in a small skillet over medium-high. Add curry leaves, chiles, mustard seeds, asafetida, and fenugreek one at a time, pausing for a second between each addition and swirling pan. Cook until spices are toasted and curry leaves sizzle and pop, about 20 seconds. Spoon spices over dal; serve with rice.