Parippu Chaaru Kerala Dal 'Curry'

Yield: Serves 4-6

Ingredients: 1 Cup Split Yellow Lentils (Moong Dal / Cheru Payru Parippu) - picked and rinsed ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder (Haldi / Manjalpodi) ½ Cup Grated Unsweetened Coconut (Nariyal / Nalikeram) - fresh preferred 2-3 Fresh Green Chiles (Hari Mirch / Pacha Mulagu) - seeded and rough chopped ½ tsp Cumin Seed (Jeera / Jeerakum) 3 Small Shallots (Gradana / Ulli) - divided; 1 rough chopped and 2 sliced thin 2 tsp Ghee - can substitute coconut oil (Nariyal ka Tel / Velichenna) if desired ¼ tsp Black Mustard Seed (Rai / Kadugu) ⅛ tsp Asafoetida (Hing / Kaayam) 2 Dried Red Chiles (Lal Mirch / Chuvanna Mulagu) - broken in half and seeds removed 6-8 Fresh Curry Leaves (Kaddi Patta / Kariveppila) Kosher Salt (Namak / Uppu) to taste

Preparation: 1) Place your picked and rinsed dal in a large bowl and add enough water to submerge the lentils by at least 1 inch - Set aside for 30 minutes to soak at room temperature 2) Bring 4 cups of water to a boil over medium-high heat in a small/medium, heavy bottomed pot* 3) Drain and rinse your soaked lentils and add to the pot along with the turmeric powder 4) Reduce heat to a vigorous simmer and allow to cook (stirring occasionally) for 15-30 minutes or until lentils are soft (almost 'mushy') 5) Remove lentils from heat and, using a potato masher, slotted spoon, or ladle mash the lentils - Return to low heat 6) While the lentils are cooking, place the coconut, green chiles, cumin seed, the rough chopped shallot, and ¼ cup of water in the work bowl of a small food processor or blender and purée until a smooth paste (add water as necessary 'to keep things moving') 7) Add the paste to the mashed lentils along with ½ cup water - Increase heat to high - Bring to a boil - Once a boil has been reached, remove from heat and set aside until needed 8) Heat ghee/oil in a small skillet over medium heat until shimmering - Once hot, add mustard seeds and asafoetida - Fry until mustard seeds pop (apx 15 seconds) - Add dried red chiles, curry leaves, and the thinly sliced shallots 9) Sauté until shallots are golden brown (apx 6 minutes) 10) Adjust seasoning of the mashed lentils and paste mixture with additional salt if needed - Transfer to a serving dish 11) Pour the shallot/curry leaves over the top and serve hot along with basmati rice or bread of choice or as part of any Keralan/Indian meal

* Can use a 4-6 quart pressure cooker as an alternative - Place drained lentils, 2 ½ Cups clean water, and turmeric powder in the pressure cooker and allow to cook for 8-10 minutes once pressure is achieved - allow to cool naturally (do not speed process) until lid can be removed and continue preparation from step 5 as written Taz Doolittle www.TazCooks.com