When I went from vegetarian to vegan, Dal Makhani was suddenly on my no-go list in restaurants, and I mourned. But then I thought, hey. I can make this myself. Honest.
Given the fact that there's an Indian market just a mile or two down the road, I figured why the heck not? And oh, it's so, so cheap. The ingredients require a little initial investment but should last me for a long, long time. It was $2 for a bag of cumin seeds that fills up two of my spice containers with leftovers, the same price for garam masala in an equal amount.
I spent all day fiddling with the lentils and the rice and the naan, but honestly if you don't have that kind of time it's not a big deal either.
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| YUM. |
1 1/2 cups urad dal (black beluga lentils)
3 tsp fresh grated ginger (I used a microplane grater which made ginger mush, perfect)
4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped
Salt to taste
For the tadka:
5 Tbsp earth balance
1.5 tsp cumin seed
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
pinch asafoetida powder
1 small can tomato paste
To finish:
1/3 cup coconut cream
5 tbsp earth balance
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garam masala
Soak the lentils overnight, rinsing and changing the water several times.
Boil the lentils with the ginger, garlic, and salt, simmering until well cooked. Drain any excess water - I scooped it out with a mug and poured it into my huge sieve to catch the lentils. Mash the lentils lightly with the mug or the back of a ladle.
To make the tadka, heat the earth balance in a separate pan until hot, add the cumin seeds and stir until they crackle. Add the garlic and fry until it starts to brown. Sprinkle in the asafoetida powder, add the tomato puree and stir for a minute. Add to the cooked dal, mixing well. Let the dal boil again, then add the chili powder, earth balance and coconut cream. Simmer gently for 30 minutes.
Add the garam masala last, stir through, and salt to taste.
As written, it's mildly spicy - a nice blend with just a little bit of heat.
Serve with basmati rice & fresh naan.
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