- 3 cups (603 g) dried, whole toor dal with skin, cleaned and washed thoroughly
- 9 cups (2.13 L) water
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) vegetable or canola oil
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) black mustard seeds
- 10-15 fresh curry leaves
- 1 large yellow or red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1 (1-inch [2.5 cm]) piece ginger, peeled and grated
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced or grated
- 4-6 whole green Thai, serrano, or cayenne chiles, stems removed, halved lengthwise
- 5-6 dried red chiles
- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) ground coriander
- 1 heaping tablespoon (20 mL) salt
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Put the lentils and water in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 hours. After cooking, if there is too much water left, drain and discard the excess water. This should be a dry dish that can pass for a side salad.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, add the mustard seeds. Cover the pan until the seeds pop (this takes just a few minutes-make sure they don’t burn). Add the curry leaves, onion, ginger, garlic, green chiles, red chiles, and coriander. Cook, stirring several times, until the onions are browned.
- Add this mixture to the slow cooker along with the salt. Cook for another hour. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Enjoy with hot roti or noon or as a side salad.