Bengali Red Dal Curry from Jake

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 C red lentils
• 3 1/2 C water
• 6 Serrano chiles either whole or sliced in quarters
• 1/4 t turmeric, or more to taste
• 1 1/2 t salt 4 T ghee, butter or vegetable oil
• 1 C minced onions
• 1 C chopped tomatoes
• 1 T grated fresh ginger2 T ghee or vegetable oil
• 1 T Panch Phoron spice mix
• 4 dried small red chilies
• 1-3 cloves garlic

Directions

1. You’re building this in 3 parts: the lentils, the tomato-onion-ginger mixture, and the seasoned oil. For 1, wash the lentils thoroughly, then combine them with the water, Serrano chilies, turmeric, and salt. Bring the pot up to a boil gently, lower the heat to low to medium, and let it cook partly covered for 25 minutes. Put the lid on fully and continue for 10 minutes. Taste and correct the salt.
2. For 2, as the lentils simmer, set a frying pan over the heat with the oil and cook the onions, stirring the whole time, until they take on a golden brown color, approximately 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and ginger, and keep them moving in the pan until the tomatoes collapse into a soft, fragrant mixture, approximately 8 minutes. Stir without wandering off so it doesn’t catch on the pan, lowering the heat if you need to.
3. For 3, spoon the tomato mixture into the lentils and fold it through. Let the lentils wait while you prepare the spiced oil.
4. For 4, give the frying pan a fast rinse without soap, then dry it very well. Pour in the remaining 2T oil and warm it over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the Panch Phoron mix and cook until the seeds start to crackle, about 15 seconds. Add the red chilies and cook for another 15 seconds, just until they deepen in color. Cut the heat, add the crushed garlic, and let it fizz for about 30 seconds. Stir the spiced oil into the lentil and tomato mixture, serve it with rice, and adjust the salt.