Rhiannon's Tarka Dahl

Hi Everyone,
I have been so busy this past year I haven't been able to keep up with the blog... but I wanted to put together a recipe book for all the awesome recipes that our interns have brought and made for us... so here is our first installment, Rhi's Tarka Dahl!

Tarka Dahl (curried lentils)

1 lb lentils

1 onion

6 cloves garlic

Ginger

1 chili pepper

3 T turmeric

3 T Garam Masala (recipe below)

4 oz tomato paste

Lentils and 2x more water, add turmeric and ½ of the garlic whole simmer until tender. In frying pan fry onion until soft and slightly golden add rest of garlic finely chopped, 1 inch ginger root grated, fry til brown (in oil). Add Garam masala to onion mix, cook 2 mins stirring constantly. Add tomato paste and cook for 2 mins. (add chicken, veggies and coconut milk to make curry) Add seasoning and paste mix to lentils and cook for 30 mins.

Serve with rice.

Garam Masala

4 tbsps coriander seeds

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp black peppercorns

1 ½ tsps black cumin seeds (shahjeera)

1 ½ tsps dry ginger

¾ tsp black cardamom (3-4 large pods approx)

¾ tsp cloves

¾ tsp cinnamon (2 X 1” pieces)

¾ tsp crushed bay leaves

Preparation:
Heat a heavy skillet on a medium flame and gently roast all ingredients (leave cardamom in its pods till later) except the dry ginger, till they turn a few shades darker. Stir occasionally. Do not be tempted to speed up the process by turning up the heat as the spices will burn on the outside and remain raw on the inside.

When the spices are roasted turn off the heat and allow them to cool.

Once cooled, remove the cardamom seeds from their skins and mix them back with all the other roasted spices.

Grind them all together, to a fine powder in a clean, dry coffee grinder.

Store in an air-tight container in a cool, dark place.

Enjoy!