Indian Dal

I have a friend that just loves Indian food.  I made her a big Indian feast the other day so that is the reason for the sudden Indian food posts.  I made her a big pot of dal,  Indian comfort food.

Dice a medium onion and 6 cloves of garlic.  Saute them in a few tablespoons of ghee. Add 2 cups of rinsed red lentils, stir to coat.

Add 6 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Add the chopped tomatoes, turn to simmer, partially cover and let it simmer for about 45 minutes.

Prepare the spices by heating 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy pot, add 2 tablespoons of mustard seed and cook them until they pop.

Add 3 tablespoons of diced ginger and 1 tsp. of ground black pepper.

Add1 tsp. of cumin, 1 tsp. of ground coriander, 3/4 tsp. of ground turmeric and 1 tsp. of salt.  Cook stirring for several minutes until very aromatic.

Add the spices to the cooked dal along with 1 seeded pepper.  I used a jalapeno because I didn't want this to be very spicy. Let this simmer for about 20 minutes before serving.  Delicious.