Urud Dal (Black Lentil Dal)

• ¾ cup split urud dal (split black lentils, ivory in color, available in Indian groceries)
• 6-8 cups water
• 1/8 teaspoon hing
• 1 stick of kombu
• 3 cups fresh vegetables (carrots and zucchini are good)
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil or ghee
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice or tamarind
• 3 cloves or garlic, minced
• ½ medium onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional, enhances Vata calming effect)
• 1 teaspoon sea or rock salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, minced
• 3 tablespoon fresh coriander leaves, chopped
• Small green chili pepper (optional)

Garnish: chopped coriander leaves, ginger or yogurt

Wash urud dal well drain.

Put dal, hing, kombu, and 6 cups of water in a large saucepan and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce to medium low heat and cover. Cook until dal is soft, about 1 hour, in the meanwhile, wash and chop the vegetables and onion. Carrots are attractive sliced in half moon shapes (cut the carrot in half lengthwise then slice crosswise) with zucchini in full-rounds. When the dal is close to being cooked, warm the oil or ghee in a medium-sized skillet and add the mustard and cumin seeds. When the mustard pops, add the lemon juice, onion, garlic, sesame, and turmeric. Stir well and sauté until onion is tender.

When the dal is soft, stir the spices and onion into it. Add the salt and chopped vegetables. Cover and cook over medium heat another 20 minutes. While it is cooking, put the ginger, coriander, pepper, and 1 cup of water in the blender and blend. Ten minutes before serving, add this blended mixture and cook ten minutes more. Add more water if the soup needs to be thinned; it should be the consistency of a very thick pea soup.