Dal (Indian Spilt-Pea Soup)

Note: The original recipe called for cooking the cumin seeds in 2 TBL of oil first--
this is clearly unacceptable. I modified the recipe to add the cumin seeds to the onions when frying in a little water, and this should suffice.

Wash the lentils, peas, or beans in several changes of cold water. In a medium pot, cover them with the water and add the whole dried chiles, turmeric, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring often, until very tender. This will take about 30 minutes for red lentils, 45 minutes for peas, or an hour or more for mung beans (note: check every 10 minutes or so, as the time can vary widely, depending on the size, type, and age of the legumes--
mine took about an hour, but were a little old). It may be necessary to add more water to prevent sticking, but only add 1/2 cup at a time, because the final consistency should be fairly thick. Use a heat diffuser of necessary.

When the lentils are almost cooked, heat a little water or broth in a nonstick pan, and stir in the onion, cumin seeds and fresh ginger, and cook until onions are soft and translucent and a little brown, about 10 minutes. use just enough water to keep the onions and seeds from sticking to the pan and burning--
too much water may keep the onions from browning.

When the lentils are tender, remove and discard the chiles. Stir in the onion mixture, lemon juice, garam masala, and salt to taste. Be careful when adding the garam masala, as too much may add a slightly bitter aftertaste to the dish. Serve, passing additional garam masala to sprinkle on top, if desired.

Serves 6

Variations: Spinach dal: Add 4 cups of chopped, fresh spinach to onions after they have sauteed for abouut 5 minutes, and cook for 5 minutes more.

Tomato dal: Add 1 cup chopped tomatoes to the onions after they have sauteed for abouut 5 minutes, and cook for 5 minutes more.

Spinach-tomato dal: Add both spinach and tomatoes.