Basic Dahl
Grrrrrgh!
Course : Vegetables
From: HungryMonster.com
Serves: 4
 

Ingredients:

340 milliliters yellow split peas
1 piece ginger
1 teaspoon tumeric
15 milliliters ghee or butter
1 teaspoon cumin
2 medium dried red chili peppers
2 cloves galic -- (diced)
1 teaspoon salt
 

Preparation:

1. Pour 675 ml of boiling water over the yellow split peas. Remove from heat, skim off any scum and let cool and soak for an hour or so. 2. Pour off the water and rinse the peas. Add water until the peas are covered, about 675 ml Don't add much more than this though! Put over medium heat and bring to a boil. Add ginger cut into several sections, and tumeric. Cook until the peas are done and almost start to disintegrate (probably 30-60 minutes depending on the peas). Add more water if neccessary. You want to maintain a fairly thick consistency. AFTER they are done cooking, add some salt to taste. Do not add the salt until they are done cooking (this warning is in a number of Indian cookbooks). 3. Melt ghee or butter. When hot, add cumin, dried red chili peppers and garlic. Saute to release the spices. Pour the oil over the dahl and mix it in. .SH "Variation: With Zucchini" Follow the recipe given above. .PP When the peas are almost done cooking, cut 2 med zuccini's into 1 cm rounds. Place the zucchini on top of the dahl and cook for another 20 minutes or more until the zucchini is buttery soft. Continue with the ghee/butter and spices. Author's Notes: I have two dahl recipes that I like to use. They are basically the same except one is dahl and the other is dahl with zucchini. I believe that Indian cooks use a special type of yellow split pea for dahl. They also have other special types of dried pulses that they use. Several Indian cookbooks mention that standard dried yellow split peas or red lentils are fine for dahls. I use yellow split peas for most, and red lentils for some different dishes. Some people claim that the best way to prevent dried beans from giving you gas is to pour boiling water over them, soak them for a while and then throw the soaking water away. After rinsing the beans, cook them in fresh water. I often use this method, but I can't claim that it's a cure-all for digestive problems. People who eat dried beans regularly have fewer problems than people who eat them seldom. Alternatively you can cook of peas in about of water without presoaking them in any way. Difficulty : easy. Precision : measure in