Mallika Basu's Warming gingered whole mung dal

There is a dal for every season, and this gingered whole moong bean dal from my Delhi home is just right for cold weather comfort.

One my favourites, it is packed with the goodness of high-protein lentils, vegan and can be cooked with minimum fuss and easily sourced ingredients. You will need to soak the lentils overnight to help make them quicker to cook and to digest afterwards.

This needs little more than a bowl of steaming hot Basmati rice and some crispy papad to go with it. A complete comfort meal if there ever was one needed.

Ingredients (feeds 4-6)

1.5 cups / 325gms whole mung beans, green with husks

1.5l cold water

4 tbsp oil

1 large bay leaf

2 inches whole cinnamon

10 black peppercorns

Half tsp cumin seeds

2″ ginger, finely grated

2 medium onions, finely sliced

2 medium tomatoes, chopped roughly

Half tsp turmeric powder

Half tsp chilli powder

Salt to taste

Method

Wash the mung beans thoroughly in a sieve under a cold tap. Then place in a medium large pot, cover with water and leave overnight to soak.

The next day when you’re ready to cook, rinse the lentils out. Add the cold water to the pot and bring to the boil. Boil on a medium high heat, stirring regularly to prevent the dhal from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Skim off any foam or scum that rises to the surface.

As they cook the lentils will start losing their shape and going soft. They will cook in 45 minutes, going from green to a darker shade of brown.

While the dal is cooking, bring the oil to heat in a large wok or pot on medium high heat. When it’s hot, toss in the bay leaf, cinnamon, peppercorns and cumin seeds in that order. As they start sizzling, mix in the ginger and sliced onions and cook for 12-15 minutes with a pinch of salt until soft and taking colour.

Now, add the tomatoes, turmeric and chilli powders and cook for another couple of minutes until the pungent smell of the spices goes. When the lentils are cooked, stir them through the ginger, onion and tomato spice paste, mashing the lentils into it to thicken the dal.

Mallika Basu is an Indian food writer and columnist. See her recipes here and follow her on Twitter and Instagram @MallikaBasu_