Yellow Gold – Indian Moong Dal
As you can see, I am still on the Indian Crock Pot train. I can’t help it, I have a bit of a problem. I also love that I can load my crock pot with bits of happiness before I head off to work and when I come home my house smells dee-licious… AND I have an amazing warm dinner waiting for me! I mean…Come On! It is the closest that I can get to having my own personal Indian chef. This recipe will evolve the more I make it, but I am pretty excited about how it turned out on my first attempt. Now either go dig your crock pot out off its hiding place, go buy one or borrow one from a friend’s mom (cuz you know they all bought one in the 70s)…and show it some love and make some Indian food!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups Yellow Split Lentils
- 2 1/2 qts Vegetable Broth (See Recipe)
- 1 tsp Salt
- 6 diced Garlic Cloves (I love garlic)
- 1 inch Ginger, finely chopped or grated
- 1 diced Tomato
- 1tsp Garam Masala
- 1tsp Turmeric
- 1tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 2 dried Red Indian Chillies (I am so in love with these at the moment)
- 2 tsp Vegetable Oil
- 2 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 3 tsp Lemon Juice
- Fresh Cilantro for garnish
Directions
- Rinse the yellow split peas; soak in 2 1/2 cups water for 30 minutes.
- Strain the yellow split lentils and put them in the crock pot.
- Add salt, garlic, ginger, tomato, garam masala, turmeric, garlic powder, onion powder and dried red chilies.
- Heat the vegetable broth on the stove, until it is boiling.
- Pour boiling vegetable broth over the party that is happening in your crock pot. If the broth is not approximately an inch over the beans, add some warm water until the beans are covered an inch or so. Do not stir the ingredients.
- Cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours until the lentils are very soft. Add more water along the way if necessary, to prevent drying out.
- Once the lentils are 1 hour from being done. Heat vegetable oil in a small saucepan and add cumin seeds. When cumin seeds become fragrant, remove from the heat.
- Let the cumin seeds cool for approx. 5 mins and then stir the seeds into the INDIAN MAGIC-NESS that is happening in your crock pot.
- Stir the Dal to check the consistency and add more water if necessary.(This dish is supposed to be more soupy than thick).
- Once the Moong Dal is finished cooking add lemon and salt to taste.
- Put a vat of Moong Dal in your bowl, garnish it with cilantro and more lemon and salt if desired.
*Note: This Moong Dal is lovely with vegetables added too it. I am a bit obsessed with kale at the moment, so I have been adding chopped kale to the bottom of my bowl and then topping it with Moong Dal…shitty bitch this is so tasty. This recipe is on the milder side, so feel free to spice if up to your heat preference.
You are basically an Indian chef at this point, now go impress your friends and let me know how if goes. 🙂
