Author’s Note
At times when I feel run down, don’t know what to cook or what to eat, I turn to my five spice seasoned lentils or “panch phoron dail”. ”Panch phoron” literally means five spices and “dail” is another word for dal. Dal, as we know it, refers to a variety of pulses and legumes, cooked and eaten all over the Indian subcontinent. It is often dressed up or down to suit different occasions. For example, parties and celebrations call for richer versions while an everyday staple dal is eaten in its simplest form, first boiled and then tempered with whole spices. So a bowl of dal can comfort you on a cold wintry night as well soothe you on a blistering hot day.
This dal here is the everyday kind — pink lentils first cooked till tender and then tempered with a blend of five whole spices. The five spices are whole cumin seeds, fennel seeds, nigella seeds, mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. Each of these spices bring their own unique flavor and micro-nutrients to the dal making it not only a wholesome but flavorsome meal. Eat it as a soup or pour it on some rice with a squeeze of lemon.
Recipe
| Ingredients | |
|---|---|
 | 1 cup pink lentils |
| 4 cups water |
| ½ teaspoon turmeric |
| 1 teaspoon salt |
| 3 tablespoons sunflower oil |
| 2 dried red chilies |
| ¼ cup sliced onions |
| 1 garlic clove, minced |
| ¼ teaspoon each of cumin seeds, fennel seeds, nigella seeds, mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. |
| ⅓ cup fresh chopped cilantro |
| Instructions | |
|---|---|
| Wash and rinse the lentils (at least three times) and place them along with 5 cups of water and turmeric in the bowl insert of an electric pressure cooker such as an Instant Pot |
| Cook the lentils with pressure on high for 5 minutes |
| After 5 minutes unplug the cooker and let the pressure release naturally |
| Transfer the cooked lentils to a pot |
| In a small pan heat oil |
| Add the five spice blend and red chillies to the hot oil, the seeds will start popping and toasting |
| Immediately add the onions, garlic, one teaspoon salt and let it cook on medium heat till the onions soften up a bit. Do not let the garlic burn |
| Add the seasoned oil along with onion, garlic and spices to the pot of cooked lentils. This is called tempering |
| Bring the pot of lentils to a simmer over medium heat |
| Let it simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Add more water if you want a thinner dal |
| Turn off the heat and add the fresh cilantro |
| Serve hot with some rice or roti or bread |
Inspiration: Childhood eating memories