Red Lentils Tadka Daal (Masoori Thoi/ Masoor Thove)

One of those lets-kill-time conversations with my favorite aunt S, I realised she is a treasure trove of recipes. I am not kidding. She dons the prized chef hat ala "Best Cook" in my maternal side. I cannot agree more with the jury and the critics. She dishes out restaurant style dishes and hold your breath, they are not limited to **Konkani** alone. She rattles off recipes from North to South, East to West, understands food science and nutrition, can cook a banquet for 50+ people without hiccups, knows many a rare cuisines which even the most knowledgeable ladies of my family fail to recognise and fathom.

She informed me about this quick and easy way of cooking Masoor Daal especially when you want the side dish in 20-30 minutes flat. Masoor Daal is sparingly cooked in our household when I was a child, it is believed to cause joint pain if consumed in excess. Red Lentils cook faster and hence works well for less than 30 minutes cooks. I tried this recipe, very similar to Daali Thoi, flavour is much milder and sharpened a wee bit with Red Chillies tadka. Thanks Aunty! You are the best!!

Preparation time: 20-30 minutes

Ingredients:

Red Lentils (Masoor Split lentils) - 2 cups

Red Chillies - 2-3

Salt - As per taste

Lime juice - 2 teaspoon

Oil - For seasoning

Water - For boiling lentils

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Mustard seeds - 1/2 t - For seasoning

Method:

Wash the lentils multiple times till water is clear and non-cloudy. Bring to boil in thick bottomed saucepan, once done mash the daal fervently. This takes around 10 minutes. Adjust salt. Pour a seasoning of mustard seeds and curry leaves and serve hot with lime juice.