Red Lentil Dal w/Cabbage

This dal is delicious served over your favorite grain - we prefer rice or quinoa. The leftovers are great!

Recipe from whatwouldcathyeat.com.

Ingredients

1.5 cups red split lentils, washed and drained
5 cups water
3 tablespoons safflower or vegetable oil
½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 small dried red chili peppers
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
½ small head of green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced or shredded (4-5 cups)
1.25 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon coriander or garam masala
Pinch asafetida (optional)
1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (optional)
1 cup finely chopped or crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly squeezed lime juice

Directions

Put the lentils and water into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until lentils are very soft.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add ginger, garlic, mustard seeds and red chili, and cook for 1 minute. Add onion and cabbage and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes until slightly browned. Stir in cumin, turmeric, coriander or garam masala, asafetida, fenugreek and salt and cook for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the cabbage mixture to the cooked lentils. Simmer 5 minutes. Taste, and if you want to add a bit more zip without adding more salt, squeeze in a little lime juice. Let the dal sit and thicken for 10 minutes or more, and reheat as necessary before serving.

Enjoy!