Talking about daal (or dal, dahl, dhal), we could go on and on forever:the indian word dahl can refer both to the legumes pulses or the soup made with them, and the legumes could very well be red, yellow, or green lentils, but also green, or yellow, peas, chickpeas, mung beans, beans, and obiously local peas and lentils varieties such as the pigeon pea .
Obviously, the cooking method too is far from being standard, as watery soups from southern India are generally opposed by thick, creamy reciped from northern regions, and same goes for the ingredients used for the soup, from mango to tomatoes.
It’s usually server with Basmati rice, the typical long grain indian rice, or with flat breads like roti, paratha or chapati. This is also a great reminder to study better which are the differences between all different indian breads…
The strength of daal is being simple yet a complete dish, since legumes are a good protein source and together with rice or bread they can fill and satisfy any hunger; add ginger and garlic, that are good and natural antioxidant and antibacterial, and complete the picture by adding any available vegetable to enrich the soup, or go extra and add some paneer cheese!
Thanks to red split lentils to be so fast to cook, red lentils daal (or masoor daal to be authentic) is also one of my staple food, thanks for it being ready in half an hour and not requiring any esothic ingredient!
Since I’m currently homeworking and I have more time available to mess around in the kitchen, I will also try soaking other legumes like split peas or chickpeas for future daals, you will find anything I post also on my Instagram account!
