Minted Masoor Dal

I love simple lentil dishes. It reminds me of home- comfort food. I like using the pink lentils the most as they cook really fast and are delicious. I served these lentils with the cauliflower in the past. This is a perfect complement to the veggies as the lentils provide a good amount of protein without cooking any meat- if you don’t want to. I recently decided to go vegan twice a week. Mondays and Tuesdays are my day to stay away from meat and all meat products. I certainly don’t want to give up any kind of food, but I think reducing the amount of meat we eat is a great idea. The good thing is that Indian food lends itself to a vegan lifestyle. If you are not eating vegan, by all means use butter or ghee to finish off the dish- it brings a whole lot of nutty flavor to the lentils and makes them delicious. The other important ingredient in this dish is dried mint. You must try this dish- it is one of my favorite…

• 1 cup masoor dal
• 3 cups water
• 3 garlic cloves, mashed
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• Salt
• 2 teaspoons dried mint
• 2 teaspoons oil, ghee or butter

Add the dal, water, garlic, turmeric and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or till the lentils are soft. Add the dried mint and oil/ghee. Cook till it reaches desired consistency. Check for seasonings and serve with rice.