Raghavan's Palak Masoor Dal (Red Lentils with Spinach)

1. Rinse lentils in a 3- to 4-quart pot with water, rubbing lentils between the fingertips of one hand, then drain. Repeat 3 or 4 times or until the water runs clear.

2. Place drained lentils in the pot and add 2 cups water, tomatoes, ginger, chiles, and turmeric. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, skimming and discarding foam. When tomato skin is loosened and wrinkled, after about 5 minutes of cooking, transfer tomatoes to a plate to cool.

3. Reduce heat to medium and simmer lentils, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until very tender and almost mushy, about 15 minutes. (The lentil color will change from salmon to pale yellow as they cook.) Keep warm over low heat.

4. Meanwhile, peel and core cooled tomatoes; discard skins. Transfer tomatoes to a blender, along with the ginger and chiles from the pot and the cilantro. Pureé, scraping down the sides as needed, until you have a thick, green-flecked tomato sauce.

5. Heat ghee in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add cumin seeds and let sizzle until they turn reddish brown and smell nutty, about 10 seconds. Immediately add spinach in handfuls, stirring to wilt.

6. Stir spinach mixture, tomato sauce, and salt into warm lentils. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, to let the flavors mingle, about 5 minutes.

Cook's Notes:

Look for red lentils, sometimes called Egyptian lentils in the United States and known as masoor dal in India, in the bean aisle of your favorite supermarket. They are salmon-colored and quick-cooking. If they're unavailable, you can use the more common brown lentils (also called French lentils), but you may need to add more water and increase the cooking time by another 15 minutes.

You can use serrano chiles instead of Thai chiles, and canola oil instead of ghee. For a bit more bitterness, use mustard greens instead of spinach.

The technique of sizzling whole spices in ghee and using it to flavor a cooked pot of legumes is called tadka.

Editor's Note:

This is part of a special feature in our February-March 2022 magazine issue. See the magazine for more recipes!