Name: Red Lentils with a Caramel-Sweet Onion Sauce (Masoor Pyaaz Dal)
Yield: Makes 4 cups
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 1 cup skinned split brown lentils (salmon-colored in this form, masoor dal), picked over for stones; ½ teaspoon cardamom seeds from green or white pods; 1 teaspoon rock salt; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; ½ teaspoon whole cloves; ½ teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 large tomato, cored and finely chopped; 1 large red onion, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced; ¼ cup Ghee or canola oil; 3 or 4 fresh green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chiles, to taste, stems removed; ½ teaspoon black peppercorns

Preparation info

Makes
4 cups

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

660 Curries

By Raghavan Iyer

Published 2008

About

What I love about this curry (in addition to its superb flavor, of course) is that while the lentils are simmering, I can quickly prepare the spice mixture and get a pot of rice started on the stove: a vegetarian meal that’s ready in under 45 minutes, including prep time. So pour yourself a glass of wine, tune the family out while you cook, and calm yourself down. Having store-bought breads, yogurt, and even pickles on hand will make it even easier for you to put that spread on the table on