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1
Rinse the Lentils and Rice
10 Mins • Rinsing
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Put the lentils in a bowl, cover with cold water and swish them with your hand, then pour the cloudy water away. Repeat 3–4 times until the water runs clear, and pick out any small stones as you go. Do the same for the rice, then leave the rice to soak in clean cold water for 15 minutes and drain it well.
Do not skip the rinse — it washes off the dusty coating on the lentils and the surface starch that makes rice sticky.
Done when: Rinsing water runs clear; rice drained and ready.
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2
Cook the Rice
20 Mins • Boiling & Steaming
Rolling boil, 100°C (212°F), then lowest heat to steam
Put the drained rice in a saucepan with 600 ml (2 1/2 cups) of the water and a pinch of the salt. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, stir once, then turn the heat to the lowest setting, cover with a tight lid and cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid. Take the pan off the heat and leave it covered for 5 minutes, then fluff the rice gently with a fork.
Never lift the lid while the rice steams — the trapped steam is what finishes cooking the top grains.
Done when: Rice tender and fluffy, every grain separate, no water left in the pan.
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3
Simmer the Dal
25 Mins • Simmering
Gentle simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Put the rinsed lentils in a large saucepan with 800 ml (3 1/3 cups) of water, half the chopped onion, half the chopped tomatoes, the grated ginger, the turmeric and the slit green chillies. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, skim off any foam that rises, then cook for 20–25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils have fallen apart into a thick, golden soup. Stir in half the salt and keep the dal warm over the lowest heat.
If the dal gets too thick, stir in a splash of hot water — it should pour like thick soup, not sit like porridge.
Done when: Lentils completely soft and broken down, dal thick enough to coat a spoon.
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4
Cook the Potato and Cauliflower Tarkari
20 Mins • Frying & Simmering
Medium heat, about 160°C (320°F)
Heat the vegetable oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the remaining onion and cook for 3–4 minutes until soft, then add the remaining garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in the coriander powder and garam masala, then add the potatoes, cauliflower and remaining tomatoes with a splash of water. Cover and cook for 15–18 minutes, stirring now and then, until the potatoes are tender all the way through. Season with the remaining salt and scatter over half the coriander leaves.
Cut the potato cubes small and even — big cubes stay hard in the middle while the cauliflower turns to mush.
Done when: Potatoes tender when pierced with a knife, cauliflower soft but holding its shape.
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5
Wilt the Spinach Saag
5 Mins • Wilting
Medium heat, about 160°C (320°F)
While the tarkari cooks, melt half the ghee in a second pan over medium heat. Add the washed spinach a handful at a time, stirring as it wilts down — the whole pile will collapse into a small mound in 3–4 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and take it off the heat while the leaves are still bright green.
Do not cover the pan — trapped steam turns the spinach dull and grey instead of bright green.
Done when: Spinach fully wilted, bright green, with no water pooling in the pan.
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6
Temper the Dal and Build the Plates
5 Mins • Tempering & Plating
Ghee heated to about 180°C (350°F); serve hot, above 60°C (140°F)
Melt the remaining ghee in a small pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the cumin seeds — they should crackle and pop at once — then add the remaining garlic and cook for 30 seconds until golden. Pour the sizzling mixture straight over the hot dal; it will hiss loudly. Roast the papads one at a time over a flame or in a dry pan until they blister and crisp. To serve, mound rice on each plate with a bowl of dal, a spoonful of tarkari, a spoonful of saag, a dollop of yogurt and a papad, and squeeze lemon over the rice.
Have the dal ready and the bowls beside the pan before you heat the ghee — the tempering takes 30 seconds and there is no time to hunt for a bowl.
Done when: Tempering sizzling and fragrant, dal steaming hot, papads crisp and blistered.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Spoon the sizzling tempering over the dal just before serving so the cumin crackles and the garlic smells fill the kitchen, then squeeze lemon over the rice. Set the plate down hot, with the yogurt and papad on the side, and eat it while the dal is still steaming.
Nepal
1h 25m
France
Vietnam