Name: Bangla Dal with a Hit of Lime
Yield: Makes about 4 Cups; Serves 4
Cuisine: Bangladesh
Ingredients: ¼ cup vegetable oil or 2 tablespoons each vegetable oil and mustard oil; 1 heaping tablespoon tamarind pulp, chopped; 1 cup masur dal, washed and drained; 5 cups water; ½ teaspoon ground cumin; ½ teaspoon cayenne; ½ teaspoon ground coriander; ½ teaspoon turmeric; 1 tablespoon minced garlic or garlic mashed to a paste; 1½ cups thinly sliced onions; ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste; Lime wedges; About ½ cup coriander sprigs (optional)

Preparation info

Makes about 4 Cups ; Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Mangoes & Curry Leaves

By Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

Published 2005

About

The name of this Bangladeshi classic is tok dal, and it’s become one of our favorite versions of simple dal. Tok means “sour” in Bengali, sour from lime or green tomato or an acidic fruit or, as here, from tamarind.

Masur (red dal) is cooked until soft, then tempered with simmered onions, tamarind, and spices. The combination is given a fresh finish with a squeeze of lime juice from the lime wedges that are served alongside. We serve this often as part of a weeknight s