Lentils With Coconut Milk

Back home we always had some kind of dal . But here I make them once in a while, but have to admit Rice and Dal is my favourite comfort food.

Just serve them with me a little bit of pickel and I am a happy girl.

Dal (also spelled Dahl or Daal, or Dhal) is a preparation of pulses (dried lentils, peas or beans) which have been stripped of their outer hulls and split. It also refers to the thick stew prepared from these, an important part of Indian, Nepali, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, and Bangladesi cuisine.

It is regularly eaten with rice and vegetables in southern India, and with both rice and roti (wheat-based flat bread) throughout northern India and Pakistan.

Dal is a ready source of proteins for a balanced diet containing little or no meat. Sri Lankan cooking of dal resembles that of southern Indian dishes.

In South India, dal is often used to make sambar, a spicy soup of red lentils and vegetables cooked with tamarind, asafoetida and some vegetables. It is eaten with rice and rice dishes.

In West India, dals are used to make curries to be eaten with rice. Dals are also used to make fermented preparations such as idli, dosa, in south and coastal India. In East India, rice is also the main accompaniment. In Sri Lanka, dal is most often consumed in a curry made with coconut mlk.
Dal preparations can be eaten with rice, as well as Indian breads in North India.

Thankyou Wiki for all the information :-)

This recipe is from the Cooking book called The Kerala Kitchen I have tried few recipes from the book and each dish as come out so good untill now.
This is the Malayali Version of the lentil dish prepared all over the India.
In the book it is written this dish is better made with split pigeon peas, but can also made with other lentils.
I used Toor dal as I think that cook much faster.
Also if you reheat the dal just make sure you don't let the lentils boil.
The recipe below is the exact recipe from teh book, but I dod make some change when I made and those changes I have written in another color.

1 1/2 cup dried split pigeon peas,pre soaked in water for 2 hours ( as I mentioned earlier I used Toor dal)
3 cups water
1 cup thin coconut milk ( Used tinned ones)
1/2 tsp sliced fresh ginger ( I used more)
3 green chillies slit ( used double)
1/2 tsp turmeric ( I used 1 tsp)
1/2 tsp roasted cummin powder ( I used 1 tsp and didn't roast)
( I also added 1 tsp chillie powder which the recipe didn't ask for)
1/2 cup thinck coconut milk
Salt to taste
2 tables spoon oil
1/2 tsp mustard seed ( used double)
1/4 cup sliced shallots ( used a bit more)
3 cloves garlic slices
8 curry leaves
2 dry red chillies torn in half ( used double)
I also used 1 tsp cummin seeds which the recip didn't ask

In a large pot, ccok the soakes peas with the water, thin coconut milk,ginger,green chillies and turmeric for 15 to 20 minutes. ( The lentils should be soft and musshy) When the lentils are cooked i just mush them with a wooden rounded spoon.
Add salt and thick coconut milk and remove from the heat.

Heat the oil in a small skillet and add the mustard seeds, when the pop add the cumin seeds and then add the shallots and garlic and fry for few minuted untill they are lightly browned.
Add the curry leaves and red chillies and fry for few seconds.
Pour into the cooked dal and serve hot with rice, that is how I prefer to eat this dish.