Red Lentil Dal

Ingredients:

• 1 cup red lentils (orange lentils will work as well)
• 3 cups water
• 3 plum tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons grapeseed, vegetable, canola or other high-heat oil
• 1/2 cup white or yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped and made into a paste*
• 2 teaspoons of Bengali five spice mix (panch phoron) or 1/2 tsp black (or white) sesame seeds, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, and (if available) 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
• 1 lime, juiced (equal to about 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice)
• 8 springs cilantro, de-stemmed and chopped
• Cooked basmati rice, optional

Preparation: 

• Place 1 cup of red lentils in a metal sieve. Rinse well with cold water. Pour cleaned lentils into a medium sauce pan. Add 3 cups of water. Bring lentils and water to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until the lentils are soft

• While the lentils are cooking in step 1, bring a separate small pot of water to a boil. Score the peel of the tomatoes with a sharp knife in the shape of an "X". Place the tomatoes in the boiling water and blanch for one minute. Remove the tomatoes to a bowl to cool. Once cool, peel the tomatoes and cut out and discard the tough stem end. Chop the tomatoes, or mash them, and set aside.   

• After the lentils in step 1 have cooked at least 5 minutes, start preparing the onions and spices. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onions. Cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic paste and cook for 1 minute more, stirring continuously, making sure that the garlic does not burn. Add the Bengali five spice. Cook and stir for another 2-3 minutes. Add bay leaf and turmeric, and Stir well.  

• To the onions and spices, add the cooked lentils along with the lentil cooking water. Add salt. Cook for 10 minutes. Add lime juice and tomatoes. Cook for 3-5 more minutes. Adjust salt if necessary. Stir in chopped cilantro and remove from heat. Garnish with more chopped cilantro. Serve with basmati rice.