Recipe #25 - All-Day Daal

Indian food is fabulous, and when it comes to feasting on it, the more varieties of dishes the better. A typical Indian meal around our kitchen consists of sag paneer (creamy curried spinach with cubes of paneer cheese), curried vegetables, garlic naan, mint-cilantro chutney, yogurt-based raita, and of course daal (or dal, or dahl, or however you want to spell it).

Our favorite way of cooking daal, a rich curried lentil stew, is to simmer it for hours, or if you have the time and foresight, all day (thus the name "all-day daal").

You'll almost certainly have leftovers of this dish, and if you do, you can thin it with lowfat milk and have a lovely curried lentil soup.

Makes six servings.

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 carrot, cut into fine dice
1 rib celery, cut into fine dice
1 shallot, cut into fine dice

1 tsp. black mustard seeds
1 tsp. turmeric
1 Tbsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garam masala

1.5 cups brown lentils

3 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1/2 cup half-and-half

Heat the butter in a large saucepan and add all the vegetables. Saute for a few minutes to sweat and soften the veggies. Add all the spices and stir well. Add the lentils and stir to combine everything.

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 25 minutes, until lentils are softened. Cover the pan tightly and put it on the lowest possible heat. Simmer for as long as possible, checking occasionally to make sure it's not sticking or drying out. Add a bit more stock as needed to keep it moist and a little soupy.

Just before serving, adjust seasonings, stir in the half-and-half, and simmer for just a few minutes more.