Title: Crafting the Perfect Home-Made Golden Punjabi Lentils
Who isn’t a fan of mouth-watering Indian dishes? It’s no secret that Indian cuisine is notable for its bold and vibrant flavors. Unsurprisingly, dals or lentil soups are a significant part of this rich food tapestry.
Today, we are going to introduce a special dish: home-styled golden Punjabi lentils. Punjabi lentils set themselves apart for their golden hue, understated, and comforting flavors. This basic type of dal is quite minimalistic, yet takes you on a gastronomic journey you won’t easily forget. What’s the best part? Your dinner table shall be adorned with this dish after an hour of pre-soaking then only 20 minutes of preparation, and 60 minutes of cook time! It’s also versatile in terms of serving size, stretching comfortably between 2 to 4 people.
Before you can get cooking though, there are certain ingredients that need to be at hand. You will require 200g of either chana dal, yellow split peas or split red lentils, half a teaspoon of turmeric, and a 2cm cube of ginger. These ingredients will form the foundation of your Punjabi lentils. To serve, one must have 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, unsalted butter or ghee, 1½ teaspoon of cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon of chilli flakes, 1 small red onion, 4cm of finely chopped ginger, 2 chopped garlic cloves, 1 large plum tomato, half a teaspoon of garam masala, 2 tablespoons of roughly chopped coriander and fresh chutney and flatbread like roti or naan.
Now that all items are ready let’s dive into the cooking process!
Begin by soaking 200g chana dal for an hour in newly boiled water. Given time, drain and rinse the lentils. Next, place the lentils into a pan, then gently pour in the water (use more if your pan is large as the lentils should be submerged). Add in ½ tsp of turmeric and the 2cm chopped cube of ginger. Set the mixture to boil, then turn down the heat and let it simmer till the lentils soften. This process will require roughly an hour, although split red lentils may soften quicker.
Allow the lentils some much-needed cool-down time. For a smoother texture, blend the cooled down mixture in a blender – the final texture depends entirely on your preference. Feel free to add more water if the lentils require it. Concurrently, toss half the lentils for a quick blend, then mix these with the rough-textured dal already in the pan.
The Punjabi lentils now move to the final stage: tempering. In a separate pan, heat up 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Next, add in 1½ teaspoons of cumin seeds and 1 teaspoon of chilli flakes, swirling them for about 20 seconds till they darken. Incorporate 1 small finely sliced red onion and fry until golden. You can then follow this up by adding 4cm worth of finely chopped ginger and 2 chopped garlic cloves, cooking for another minute.
Finally, add one large chopped plum tomato and ½ teaspoon of garam masala, letting it fry for nearly 2 minutes or until the tomato softens. Pour your pan’s contents into the hot dal, topple in 2 tablespoons of roughly chopped coriander. Stir it well, serve with flatbread and fresh chutney, and voila! Your homemade golden Punjabi lentils are ready to be devoured.
When done right, this delicious dish will be a testament to Indian cuisine’s diversity and richness. So, get your ingredients ready, roll up your sleeves, and start your Indian cooking adventure today!
