Indian Dahl Lentils

I have been going to Costco and they have the Madras Lentils sometimes as a sample. I really liked the taste with the spices that are in it. Since it is kind of pricey for a box, I wanted to see if I could make it. I looked online and saw several recipes for it. I first found out it was an Indian dish then found out you use red lentils. Then one day I was going through my Joy of Cooking cookbook and saw the recipe. I was excited since everything I have made from this cookbook has turned out great. I decided to make the recipe today.

The recipe stated to use only 1 cup of lentils but I bought a 16 oz bag which was about 2 1/2 cups, I decided to use all of it. I had to also adjust the rest of the ingredients to account for more lentils being cooked. Also, I added an extra Indian spice blend that I made myself, Garam Masala. I saw a recipe for dahl that also used this so I decided to add this to my dish to give more kick. This is a blend of spices such as cloves, nutmeg, corriander, black pepper, cumin, and other indian spices. Another thing I noticed from the Joy of Cooking recipe versus others I found online is that the Joy of Cooking recipe says to add lentils then add the water and spices while other recipes online says to cook lentils first then in another pot first stir in the onions and spices then the tomatoes to get the aroma coming out, then you add the cooked lentils and water. I also did not account that tumeric would turn my red lentils into a bright yellow color. I was trying to get a brown like color similar to the Madras lentils. The ending result was tasty but reminded me more of a curry flavor than the madras lentils I tasted at Costco. Don't get me wrong, the final dish I made was flavorful and tasty but not the taste I was trying to go for. I will have to try to make this dish again one day with less tumeric. Recipe adapted from Joy of Cooking Cookbook with some added spices.


Indian Dahl Lentils Recipe
Ingredients:
1- 16oz bag of red lentils
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons tumeric
1 tablespoon garam masala
salt
1 medium sized onion sliced
1 medium sized tomato chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 cups water

Directions:

The ingredients: sliced onions, chopped tomatoes, minced ginger

Lentil after a quick soak in water

1. Wash red lentils and pick over. Put in a bowl.

2. Heat a dutch oven or a heavy stock pot, add lentils and stir to cook. Add onions, tomatoes, ginger, spices, salt, and water. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes until lentils are tender and soup has thickened a bit.

Final Dahl lentils, put too much tumeric so it turned yellow instead of the
brown color that is from the Madris lentils brand. It still tasted delicious.

3. add more water to desire consistency. also add more salt and/or spices to taste. Serve hot. If desired, add a dollop of yogurt.