I would easily guess there are more than 100 dal recipes in my cookbook collection, but Ismail Merchant’s lemon dal has become a favorite. After years of the classic onion/garlic/cumin/coriander/turmeric/mustard-seed dal, and my crush on a ginger/spinach/chili dal soup, this lemon dal is what I often gravitate toward. It’s exceptional, and I’m addicted.
I know of numerous lemony stews with lemon juice added just before serving, but this lemon dal is unique in that you float a lemon-half in the dal for nearly an hour. The slow-steeping softens the lemon, making it fragrant like a gentle lemon perfume, yet the lemon is somehow more deep and elemental without being sharp or salty like a preserved lemon. The other aromatics all take this dal in a different direction: cinnamon sticks, ginger and bay leaves. No cumin, no coriander. This is completely different from other dals I know. A fragrant respite if you’re on cumin-overload.
This recipe was clipped from the LA Times in an article of recipes from the Indian film producer Ismail Merchant. On a recent trip to the downtown LA library, I ended up in the cookbook section as always, and discovered Ismail Merchant’s Indian Cuisine where this lemon dal also appears. I have adapted his original recipe only in omitting the scattering of cilantro at the end. If you know me, you know that I always skip the cilantro.
Also, one trick I’ve learned along the way is to remove the cinnamon sticks before packing leftovers. Otherwise the cinnamon flavor will become too strong.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons light oil
- 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 pound masoor dal (orange split lentils) picked over and rinsed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped ginger
- 2 1/2 cups veg broth
- 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
- salt
- 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1/2 serrano or japapeno chile, chopped with seeds
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Heat 6 tablespoons oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Add the sliced onion and cook, stirring, until tender.
- Add the cinnamon sticks, dal, and ginger. Cook, stirring often, 10 minutes.
- Add the stock, 2 cups water, red pepper, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
- Squeeze juice from the lemon halve, straining the seeds. Add the lemon juice and the lemon halve to the lentils. Cook 50 minutes, stirring often. Add up to 1 cup more water, if dal dries out too much.
- Heat the olive oil in a small pan. Add chopped onion, garlic, chili and bay leaves. Cook, stirring, until onion is browned. Add mixture to lentils and stir. Serve hot.
