Tarka Dal (Version 1)

Now then, if you're serious about being a vegetarian or vegan, you'll need to make friends with pulses - beans and lentils. Much of the world survives on them for their protein content. India would collapse without them.

There's a myth going round that lentils are boring: wrong! Depends what you do with them, eh? This dish will convince you that lentils can not only be as enjoyable as meat but even preferable!

There's another story going round that lentils are dirt cheap and you can eat well on next to nothing. That's entirely true.

Tarka dal is an Indian dish. 

Dal = pulses
Tarka = flavoured at the end by adding a tempered oil

This version I suppose is slightly Bengali influenced with its liberal use of mustard seeds.

Serves: 4
Cost per person: 1 zl (20 pence UK, 24 Euro cents, 31 US cents)

What you need:

- 4-5 good handfuls of red lentils (or a mix of red and yellow)
- 1 tsp coriander
- 2 tbsp veg oil
- 2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2-3 dried red chillies
- 1 tsp finely chopped garlic
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 1/2 tsp turmeric 

This is easy to make, really. It's vegan (but don't tell anyone!).

Let's get to work!

1. Soak the lentils in a bowl for around 30 minutes

Rinse several times during the 30 minutes so that you move from a bowl which looks like this:

To one which looks like this:

2. Heat up the lentils in a large pan with water 2-3 cm above the line of the lentils

3. When it's up to boil, add the coriander powder. Reduce the heat and cover. Cook for 45 minutes (more or less). The lentils should get nice and mushy by then.

4. While the lentils are cooking, prep the ingredients for the tarka (the flavoured oil)

5. When the lentils are pretty much done, get cracking with the tarka. Heat around 2 tbsp of veg oil in a wok. Mustard seeds in.

6. When the mustard seeds start popping, add the cumin seeds in

7. The tarka is a quick process, so almost immediately after the cumin, add the chillies

8. Wham! Add the garlic and ginger

9. 10 seconds later, get the turmeric in. 5 seconds. Off the heat

10. Your tarka's ready! Add to the pan of lentils.

11. Season with salt to taste. Reduce a bit on a low heat for another 5 minutes. You want the consistency of a thin sauce.

12. Serve with rice!

Cost:

- lentils: 2 zl
- rice: 1.60 zl
- the rest: 0.40 zl

Total: 4 zl
Serves: 4
Per person: 1 zl