Dal with Ginger and Tamarind

al, or lentils, are quick to make, and very good for you. They are a staple of my diet, because they are a good source of vegetable protein. This recipe is basically a mixture of Dal with tamarind, a paste made from the fruit of the tamarind bush. It resembles date in appearance, but has a tart, tangy taste. It's high in vitamin C and a source of vegetable calcium.

Here's the list of ingredients:

• A half cup of green lentils
• Freshly ground cumin, maybe a tablespoon
• A knob of ginger, finely grated.
• A handful of fresh coriander
• A table spoon of garam masala (Indian curry blend)
• Big pinch of turmeric
• A pinch of good salt
• A table spoon of tamarind paste
• red chili powder, to taste

Begin by heating the unground cumin seeds in a dry pan until fragrant. Add them to your grinder or mortar and pestle, and grind until a powder. Add in the garam masala and chili powder, amd mix well. Set aside.

In a small pot, add the lentils, grated ginger, salt, sice mixture, and a cup and a half to two cups of water or vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down low, and cover. Let cook for 25-30 minutes.

While the lentils are cooking, soak the tamarind paste in a small bowl of hot water. Make sure you pick out the seeds -- they are very hard, quite large, and can easily break teeth.

When the lentils are done, strain the tamarind pulp into them, and stir well. I use a sieve for this -- I force the tamarind through the sieve with the pestle from my mortar and pestle. Stir to combine, add in some of the chopped cilantro, and pour out into a bowl. Garnish with some of the whole cilantro leaves. You can serve it with pita bread or rice.

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