Nimbu Dal – Lemon Lentils

Dal – chawal is my comfort food and I look forward to cold winter nights to eat a bowl of steaming hot rice and lentils with some desi ghee in it. For the third and last day of cooking with lemons, I chose this classic tangy dal. I made this dal with masoor dal (orange lentils), just because I love the flavor of the dal. You could also use moong dal or tuvar dal for the same recipe or a mix of dals.

We had this for dinner along with some phulkas and pumpkin subzi (recipe coming soon). I made the dal a bit on the runny side to allow us to sip it as soup. I have used onions in the recipe, but if preferred the onions could be skipped.

Preparation time – 10 minutes
Cooking time – 30 minutes
Difficulty level – easy

Ingredients – (serves 4)

• Masoor dal (orange lentils) – ¾ cup
• Onion – 1 medium (chopped finely)
• Tomatoes – 3 (chopped finely)
• Green chilies – 2
• Ginger – 1 tsp (finely grated)
• Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
• Red chili powder – 1 tsp
• Cinnamon – ½ inch piece
• Ghee or oil – 1 tbsp
• Lemon juice – from 1 lemon or about 3-4 tbsp
• Salt – to taste
• Cilantro – for garnish

Procedure –

• Wash the lentils couple of times and then cook it in enough water with a pinch of turmeric powder until soft. I usually cook the masoor dal on stove top, but if preferred you could cook it in pressure cooker.

• In a pan, heat the ghee or oil or a combination of both and then add the cumin seeds. Once the seeds splutter, add the cinnamon stick and fry for about 30 seconds.
• Add the onions and sauté until golden brown. Then add the grated ginger and green chilies and fry for a minute more.

• Next goes in the chopped tomatoes along with salt, turmeric powder and red chili powder.
• Fry until the tomatoes are mushy.

• Now add the cooked dal along with some water (if needed) and let the mixture boil for about 8 – 10 minutes in medium heat.
• Add the cilantro and let it boil for a minute. Remove from flame and add the lemon juice. Mix well and serve it steaming hot.