Lentil is dietary staple to many countries. They come in variety of colors and sizes. Enjoy this simple White Lentil (Urad Dal) recipe from VegRasoi.com.

Ingredients

½ cup white lentil (soaked in water)

4 cups water

2 tbsp oil

¼ tsp cumin seeds

2 fresh green cayenne pepper (diced) (optional)

3 cloves garlic (minced or diced) (optional)

¼ tsp turmeric powder

1¼ tsp salt

½ tsp red cayenne pepper powder

½ tsp cilantro / coriander powder

Fresh cilantro / coriander leaves (to garnish) (optional)

Method

Take the oil in pressure cooker and heat this. Add the cumin seeds and heat until it sizzles. Also stir the diced green cayenne pepper and garlic. Now add the soaked lentil and water to this. Add rest of the spices and salt to taste. Finally stir well, cover the lid of the pressure cooker and cook for ~15-20 minutes. The lentils are usually cooked in the pressure cooker in one whistle. Once the pressure releases from the cooker, open and stir the lentils to check the consistency. Depending on how you like your lentil – you can cook the lentils more with part of the lid open, on medium heat, if this has little extra water or add water if this is too thick. Garnish the lentil with fresh cilantro leaves and serve hot the White Lentil.

Suggested Food Pairing: Use this as a main course with your choice of bread / white rice or side dish.

Tips:

1. Soaking the lentils half hour before cooking the White Lentil, cooks it quickly.
2. Soaking the lentils overnight or ~6-8 hours and cooking in a pot in place of pressure cooker brings better flavor of the lentils. The lentils in the pot would need to be cooked for ~30-40 minutes.