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Bangladeshi Red Lentils

An everyday dal to be served with rice, vegetables, and curries. (In Bangladesh, the curry would often be made with fish.)

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 4¿5

Ingredients

1 cup red lentils (skinless masoor dal), washed and drained
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 medium onion, half finely chopped and half cut into fine half rings
3/4–1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive or canola oil or ghee
2 cloves garlic, cut into thin slices
2–3 dried hot red chilies, each broken in half

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Put the red lentils, 3 1/2 cups water, turmeric, and the chopped onions into a medium pan. Bring to a boil. Cover partially, turn heat to low, and cook 45 minutes or until the lentils are very tender. Add the salt and mix in.

    Step 2

    Pour the oil into a small frying pan set over medium heat. When hot, put in the sliced onions and stir a few times. Add the garlic and chilies. Stir and fry until the onions and garlic have turned a rich golden-red color. Pour the contents of the frying pan into the pot with the dal. Stir to mix.

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Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Buy the full book from Amazon.
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