Dhal with egg and spinach

I have to say, I have been pretty delinquent in feeding myself these past 2 weeks. Too much travel (Qatar, KL, Miri, Bintulu), too much time spent in airports, and overall sheer exhaustion. Couple that with some crazy times at work, and I have reverted back to my old instant noodles-or-oatmeal for lunch/dinner habits. The good news, though, is that my constant travel has yielded something fruitful - we finally decided on a house. A basic one that had us sweating when we handed over the earnest deposit, and then excited when we started dreaming of renovation and decoration.

Anyway, this is something I made a few weeks back, before the start of all the craziness and I had the time and energy to cook something for myself. Simple, hearty and warming dhal, bulked up with egg and spinach when reheated for lunch or dinner.

This recipe is from my old standby, 5 Spices 50 Dishes, by Ruta Kahate. One basically simmers split moong dhal (red lentils) with ginger, then make a tadka (spice mix) with coriander, cumin, garlic and "burnt" onions. I find that this tastes a lot better the next day, after the flavours are given a chance to meld and mature.

Everyday Yellow Dal

1 cup yellow split peas, soaked in cold water for 1 hour
3 cups water
1 large tomato (about 8 ounces), cut into 8 wedges
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 medium red onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
5 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, finely ground
3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup minced cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt

1) Drain the dal (split peas) and place in a large saucepan.
2) Add the fresh water and tomato and bring to a boil.
3) Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the peas are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
4) Pick out any tomato skins and whisk the dal to emulsify it. Keep warm over low heat.
5) Make the tadka: Heat the oil in a medium skillet over high heat.
6) When the oil beings to smoke, add the cumin seeds, covering the pan with a lid or splatter screen.
7) After the seeds have stopped sputtering, add the onion and garlic and sauté over medium heat until most of the onion has turned dark brown, about 5 minutes. Add the coriander, turmeric, and cayenne, stir, and pour the onion mixture over the dal. Add the cilantro, butter, and salt to the dal and simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve hot.Serves 4.

While traditionally one should eat this with bread or rice, accompanied by a few more dishes, I simply top my dhal with some wilted spinach and a poached egg, throw in the frozen spinach and break an egg over before reheating it in the microwave.