Garlic Black Lentil Fry

Ingredients

• 2 cups dried black lentil sorted and debris removed, then rinsed
• 5 cups water
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil or coconut oil
• 2 teaspoon whole cumin seed
• 5-6 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt to taste
• 1/4 cup minced fresh coriander, more for garnish

Preparation

1. in a pressure cooker, combine the sorted and rinsed lentils with the 5 cups of water, coriander powder, turmeric, and salt. cook on high pressure for 25 minutes and allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 15 minutes.
2. when the lentils are ready, heat the oil in a skillet or pot large enough to accommodate the cooked dal. add the cumin seed and let it fry until fragrant, for about 30 seconds.
3. add the garlic and ginger and cook until the garlic starts turning golden in places, about 1 1/2-2 minutes, depending on the size of the garlic. stir in the garam masala, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper and add the cooked urad dal and any remaining cooking water. bring the lentil to a simmer and add salt to taste;adjust any other spices to taste as well. let the dal simmer for 5-10 minutes to mix the flavours; add water as needed to thin it to your desired consistency.
4. turn off the heat and stir in the 1/4 cup coriander. serve garnished with additional cilantro. other optional garnishes include fresh minced chiles and minced red onion.