Tarka Daal

(serves lots, per­haps 6–8)

about 1 cup/250 grams orange, yel­low or brown lentils

about 3 cups water

1 medium tomato

1 medium onion

3 cloves garlic

1 heap­ing tsp ground coriander

1 heap­ing tsp ground cumin

1 heap­ing tsp ground turmeric

1 heap­ing tsp chili powder

1 heap­ing tsp garam masala

1/2 cup/125 ml veg­etable oil

1 medium onion, roughly sliced

3 cloves gar­lic, chopped fine

1 medium tomato

sea salt and fresh black pep­per to taste

1/2 cup/125 ml plain yoghurt

fresh coriander/cilantro leaves to garnish

Pour the lentils into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and cover with water.  You may need more water as they cook down. Into the lentils, coarsely chop the tomato, onion and gar­lic.  My friend does this with a small, sharp knife, right from her hand into the pot.  Sprin­kle with all the spices.  Bring to a sim­mer and cook until soft, adding more water if needed, about 30 min­utes.  Make sure the lentils are truly soft.

While they are cook­ing, heat the oil in a fry­ing pan till very hot, then add the onions and gar­lic and fry until brown.  This is absolutely cru­cial — con­tinue to cook them past the level you would for any other recipe, except per­haps a biryani.  They need to be fried nearly crisp, and you will find that they begin to stick together in clumps.  This is perfect.

Now add them to the sim­mered lentils.

As the oily onions and gar­lic hit the wet lentils, they will make a crack­ling sound, very sat­is­fy­ing, which the Pak­ista­nis believe mim­ics the sound of fire­crack­ers, and the Urdu word for fire­cracker is “Tarka.”  Hence “Tarka Daal,” since “Daal” is Urdu for “lentils.”

Stir thor­oughly and add the sec­ond tomato.  Cook just a bit.  Sea­son well and stir in half the yogurt.  Serve topped with the remain­ing yogurt and the cilantro.