Lunch/Dinner Recipe 9: Red Lentil Dal served with Sea Bass and Green Salad

Many people consider Indian food to be very spicy and quite heavy (due to the use of large quantities of ghee and cream). This dal is none of that. It serves as a wonderful meal on it's own or can be an accompaniment to a number of different foods. Also, it is quite easy and relatively quick to make - I don't think you will be disappointed as the outcome is tasty, hearty and very healthy. Simply delicious - and a good source of protein!! 

Ingredients for the dal (serving 4)
1 cup of red lentils (you can also use puy lentils, which will take 5-10 mins longer to cook)
1-2 limes
1 medium red onion, very finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tblsp ground cumin
1 heaped tblsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 tblsp vegetable oil
Optional spices: Turmeric, cayenne pepper, chili (not strictly detox) or any other spice you may find suitable

Put the red onion, garlic, ginger, cumin, salt, oil and other spices into a pot and cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes. One of the tricks with Indian cooking is finely chopping the onion - the finer it is, the yummier the dal. Obviously chop as much as your time permits (and your eyes can handle) - I was taught in an Indian cooking class that one should however chop the onion with a knife rather than the food processor when chopping onion for dal!!

After 10 minutes, add the lentils. A little trick to add extra flavor is to mix the dry lentils with the base in the pot for a minute or so before you add the water. Add about 3 cups of water, stir occasionally and it will take about 15-20 minutes to cook the lentils. Red lentils are the fastest cooking lentils, puy will add another 5-10mins.

Once the lentils are cooked, add juice from one or two limes (depending on your preference).

I served the dal with some sea bass quickly steamed with a bit of chopped garlic, chopped ginger, cut spring onion, lemon juice, salt and a bit of toasted sesame seed oil and a green salad. The options are endless though - as I mentioned above, it is a delicious meal on it's own or you can serve it with fish, chicken, steamed vegetables, a big salad, tofu etc.

Enjoy!