Lentils save the day :-)

 I have been quite lazy lately not cooked enough, but here I am crawling back slowly :) I have always blogged about recipes that my mom or sister or grandmother shared with me, this recipe is from my Ma ( mother in law ). She cooks very simple non messy food but it tastes so earthy. The taste of her food lingers for a while when you have had a satisfying meal. Soon I found myself asking her for the recipes and taking notes. When you are out of groceries or just simply not in a mood of elaborate cooking lentils can be your best friend. Ma calls these lentils Daal Bhaja, this is very typically made in the bengali cuisine, very simple but very tasty and flavourful. It goes very well with roti or just plain rice with some ghee and a squeeze of lemon juice.
If this has made you hungry and try it, heres how you make it :) Make this on a cold day or a rainy afternoon, the flavour of the spices fill up the house making it warm and welcoming, the cold and Gray will not bother you so much :-)

Shopping list:

1. Moong Daal or Yellow split lentils - 1 cup
2. Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
3. 2 dry red chillies (you can add or reduce chillies as per taste)
4. 3 cardamom pods
5. 3 cloves
6. 1 bay leaf
7. an inch long cinnamon stick
8. pinch of Turmeric
9. Salt to taste.
10. Oil for cooking. I use sunflower oil, you can use any odourless oil, butter or Ghee.

Lets get cooking:

1. In a heavy bottom pan pour a table spoon of oil and add the lentils, dry, do not soak them or wash them.
2. Dry fry them till they turn nice and golden brown. This takes off all the raw smell that some lentils can have even after cooking them.
3. Let them cool.
4. Soak the lentils in water for about 30 mins. This cooks the lentils much better, but if you are in a hurry leave them for 5 mins and then pressure cook them.
5. Cook the lentils till they become soft and mushy, I pressure cook them.
6. Once the lentils are cooked, add cumin seeds to a pan with hot oil or Ghee, once the sputter add rest of spices, Cloves, bay leaf, Pepper corns, cinnamon and chillies. Stand back because the spices will sputter and pop out once they hit a hot pan. This is what you call tadka.
7. When you see the chillies changing the colour turn the flame down add turmeric and salt. Do not add salt while cooking the lentils, they tend to make the lentils harder.
8. Add the cooked lentils to the tadka and let it simmer for 5 mins. Add water if the lentils are very thick and stew like, if you like you lentils a little runny.
9. Serve it with Rice or Roti

Do let me know if you enjoyed it or if you altered it to make it taste different:)