Dishoom-Inspired Dal Makhani

I survived my first week of work. It was actually really low-key because all I've done so far is HR-related and I also took part in a training course for a design program. I appreciate the slow transition and return to adulthood. That being said, I thoroughly miss my temporary retirement. I've been particularly nostalgic about the afternoon tea culture in the UK. The cup of tea I brew at work always feels so sad without a scone to accompany it.

I've been telling everyone about how I miss clotted cream and the conversation inevitably also turns into an advertisement for Dishoom, which is an Indian restaurant in London that I mentioned in last week's post for naan breakfast rolls. I have plans to recreate basically everything I ate at Dishoom and I'm continuing those goals this week with dal a.k.a. lentils. Dishoom's version was called "black dal" and it was super creamy with a tomato base. The lentils had obviously been slow-cooked for a long time because they'd broken down so much, the dish was basically just a sauce. My grocery store didn't have black lentils so I just used regular ones and the result was pretty delicious and v. similar to what I remember from my London experience.

Ingredients [serves 4]:
¾ cup lentils
3 tablespoons ghee
¼ cup finely diced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon garam masala
¼ cup tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
2 to 4 cups water
¼ cup heavy cream

Start the recipe by soaking the lentils in water for 4 hours.

I know it's odd to say a quarter cup of diced onion instead of specifying what fraction of the onion itself to use. I ended up using about an eighth of an onion.

Get a pan heating over medium and add ghee, diced onions, garlic, and grated ginger. Stir and sweat the alliums until fragrant and slightly translucent.

Add the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and garam masala and allow to bloom in the fat to release the essential oils.

Stir in the tomato paste and toast until lightly caramelized and the color has deepened.

Add lentils, about 2 cups of water, and salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer.

Simmer the lentils for 4 hours, stirring occasionally and adding water (as needed) to keep them submerged. This slow cooking process will result in a v. creamy dish.

When the lentils are super soft and thick, stir in heavy cream and serve.

I also made some red lentil fritters to accompany the meal.

Serve with basmati rice, naan, and/or roti because you need something to sop up the saucy goodness of the lentils.

The lentils have a subtle sweetness and they have an indulgent feel without being heavy. Because tomato paste has already been cooked down aggressively and it continues to cook for several hours with the lentils, it adds lots of depth of flavor to the sauce. The ginger, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and garam masala add a lot of warmth and spice. The heavy cream adds richness, the onion and garlic add savoriness, and the texture is so velvety and comforting.

Here's the recipe page: