Spicy Indian Lentil Stew (Daal)

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Servings: 4
Yield: 4 servings

Description

Fresh cilantro, chile peppers, and ginger give savory, spicy flavor to this easy Indian lentil stew, or daal.

Ingredients

1/2 cup dry yellow lentils
1/4 cup dry red lentils
1/4 cup split mung beans
5 cups water
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
4 teaspoons ghee (clarified butter), divided
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 green chile peppers, chopped
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

1 Rinse the yellow lentils, red lentils, and mung beans and put them in a medium saucepan with 5 cups water, salt, turmeric, and 1 teaspoon ghee. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until lentils are easily mashed, about 30 minutes.
2 Heat remaining ghee in a frying pan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and cook until they sputter. Add onion, chile peppers, and ginger; stir-fry until onions are soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and add cilantro and cayenne. Transfer mixture to lentils.
3 Let mixture simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.