Indian Dal with skinless Moong beans 

 
DAL – Indian Lentil Curry
 
For 4 people
 Ingredients:
Dal:
2 tbsp/30 g ghee or 1 tbs oil or 15 g butter
2 Green Jalapeños or 2 green cayenne chillies, deseeded, cut into chunks 
1 medium onion finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp ginger finely chopped – 1.5 cm
8 fresh curry leaves or 6 dried
1 chopped tomato
1 tsp ground cumin
250 g skinless dried chana (moong beans) dal, yellow split peas or other yellow lentils – Don’t use Puy Lentils or other tiny lentils
1 litre vegetal stock or water if you don’t have stock
1 tsp turmeric power
¼ tsp garam marsala
¾ tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper
 
Tadka (optional) but very recommended 
20 g ghee or half each butter + oil
1 eschalot halved lengthways and sliced
1 and 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
​1 and 1/2 tsp of black mustard seeds
3 dried chillies, broken in half, seeds removed or ½ tsp flake dried chillies
To serve
Fresh coriander
4 steamed fish fillets or rice and Paratha
 
 Method:
  1. Soak lentils: Rince lentils and leave to soak in plenty of water for 1 or 2 hour.
  2. Heat ghee/oil in a heavy based saucepan over high heat.
  3. Add green Jalapeños or green chillies and fry for a minute until starting to blister.
  4. Add onions and fry until softened.
  5. Lower heat to medium, add garlic, ginger and curry leaves.
  6. Cook for 1 minute until garlic starts to turn golden and smells amazing.
  7. Add tomatoes and cumin, cook until tomatoes start to break down and thicken to a paste about 2 minutes.
  8. Add lentils, vegetable stock or water, turmeric and salt. Stir, bring to simmer, cover and simmer gently for 1 hour.
  9. Stir two or three times during the hour.
  10. Remove lid and simmer gently for 30 minutes to thicken, stirring every now and then.
  11. The Dal is ready when it has a consistency like porridge – some lentils should be intact but some have broken down to thicken the sauce.
  12. Stir through garam masala at the end. Adjust salt and pepper if desired.
  13. Our over Tadka and stir through.
  14. Serve dal on a plate garnished with a sprig of coriander. 
Tadka – Sizzling Spices
Heat ghee in a small pan over medium heat until hot but not smoking.
Add cumin and mustard seeds, stir cumin until it is slightly golden.
Then add chillies and cook for 20 seconds, then add eschalots and cook until tinged with gold.
Don’t let the spices burn! Immediately pour into Dal.

I have buddied it up with a steam cooked fish fillet. You can serve with rice and Paratha