Basic Lentil Curry
A Recipe
Breathe a short prayer as you enter the kitchen. Communicate to Whoever you believe in, that you love the person you are cooking for, and that you hope she/he will like what you are about to make. So then one is more careful, more grounded, more humble while cooking. Cooking is a sacred rite, not a one-size-fits-all kind of procedure.
Wash the dal (lentils).
Cook it in a pressure cooker till just the outside ring of each ‘dal’ is cooked. It should not repeat, not, be pulverised to within an inch of its life. Every ‘dal’ should be a separate entity.
Now.
Cut onions lengthwise, then breadth-wise, once. Chop tomatoes so fine that they dissolve joyfully. Hold the green chilies by their stalks, and with a very sharp knife slit them, once, from stalk to almost the tip. Almost. Don’t separate the ends. Keep a handful of fragrant curry leaves ready. Cut a bunch of coriander leaves and keep them separate. DON’T mix any of these ingredients. Yet. They are still strangers, and might not enjoy each other’s company. It doesn’t make them happy. Yet.
CRUSH the curry leaves in the palm of one hand, till the fragrance fills the air.
In a wok, put in three tablespoons of butter-melt, ’Ghee’.
Put the onions into the hot ghee, along with the slit green chilies and the curry leaves... Carefully, carefully, carefully. You are not going to fight a battle. You are cooking for someone you love.
Smell…..
The onions have to be fried in ghee, till they turn a tender, ecstatic brown. Add the tomatoes, turmeric powder, and salt. Stir it once. Lower the flame. Put a lid on the vessel. Listen carefully. Can you hear the flavours meld and blend, combine and accentuate? Can you? Once you know that they have, open the vessel.
Stir.
Sniff.
Smell.
Smile.
Add the cooked ‘dal’. Keep the flame low. Stir, with a very broad spatula. From the bottom of the vessel, gently, gently, gently, to the top. Give a chance to everything in there to enjoy each other’s company. That is very important, don’t you think?
After you have done that, increase the flame for exactly five minutes. Keep stirring. Switch off the flame. Wait for ten minutes. Sprinkle the coriander leaves. Using a small spoon, stir them in. Look into the wok. What do you see?
A small yellow pond, with twinkling red lights, winking dark green highlights, and sparkling light green ones?
Your ‘dal’ is ready to be served.
