Butter Dal

Dal is an Indian legume soup that is most often made with lentils, beans and chickpeas. I have just used lentils here for simplicity. It is a hearty side dish that lives somewhere between a stewy soup and a saucy sauce.

Per my note in Slow Roasted Spiced Chicken, if you make the chicken on a Sunday you can eat the thighs that night, the breasts for lunches in salads, then use the bones to make the stock for these lentils. Serve the lentils with the drums and wings of your roasted chicken and you will be a very, very happy meal prepper.

Butter Dal

Butter Dal

Stock

Bones, skin and other bits (lemon and garlic stuffing!) from your Slow Roasted Spiced Chicken

Vegetables floating around your fridge like onion, carrot, celery etc. – totally optional

S&P 

Or 

5 cups store bought chicken or vegetable stock

Lentil Dal 

2 cups lentils (I often use 1 cup red, 1 cup green – use what you have)

1 ½ cup plain whole milk yogurt, whisked 

1 can chopped tomatoes (do not drain)

1 onion, diced

1 inch nob of ginger, minced

2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp turmeric 

1 tsp chili powder 

½ tsp cardamom 

2 tsp salt 

Garnish

4 TB extra virgin olive oil 

3 minced garlic cloves 

2 tsp cumin 

½ tsp garam masala 

If making the stock: 

Put your chicken carcass (ew sick) in a large stock pot. If you want, add any vegetables you have in the fridge like an extra onion or a carrot or whatever – that’s optional. Season with a teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of pepper and submerge completely in water. Bring to a boil. Once it boils reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer half covered for 4-6 hours, skimming off any foam that rises to the top. Remove bones and vegetables using a slotted spoon and strain stock through a mesh sieve. Reserve 5 cups for this recipe and store the rest in airtight containers in the freezer for up to three months. 

Okay lentils here we go:

In a large saucepan combine the lentils with four cups of stock. Bring to a boil. Once it boils, reduce to a very gentle simmer for 20 mins, stirring a few times, until lentils are just tender. Turn off the heat. Stir in one cup of the yogurt, half of the onion, the tomatoes, ginger, paprika, turmeric, chili powder, cardamom and salt. Bring to a boil again, then reduce to low heat and cook for 90 minutes stirring occasionally and adding splashes of the remaining cup of stock if dal seems dry. Lentils should be very soft, but still hold their shape. Remove from heat. Using the bottom of a glass or a potato masher, mash the lentils a little bit. Some should be mashed and some in tact, but no evidence remaining of big tomato pieces. You’re looking for a consistency somewhere between a stew and a sauce. Allow to stand while you make the topping.

Add a little bit of water to the remaining half cup of yogurt and whisk until it is runny but not thin. Look for a good drizzling texture. 

In a small pan heat the olive oil. Once it is hot but not smoking, stir in the onions and cook for 4 mins until they soften. Add in the garlic, cumin and garam masala and stir constantly until the garlic is brown but not burned. Your onions will get a little dark and crispity crunchity and that’s what you want. 

Transfer lentil dal to a bowl, drizzle with thinned yogurt and then top with the oil concoction, otherwise known as tadka. 

Serve immediately.