Most people have ice cream or soup when they have their wisdom teeth out. I have this dal (lentil) dish mixed with rice. It is the perfect meal in a bowl: carbs, protein, and enough spice and flavor to be keep you wanting more and never bored.

Prep time: 30 minutes (mostly inactive though – a big plus!)

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients

• basmati rice
• toor dal
• canola oil
• bay leaves (optional)
• cumin seeds (optional)
• hing/asafoetida
• black mustard seeds
• turmeric
• salt
• red chilli powder

Method

1. If you own a pressure cooker, set up the cooker with 1 cup of dal and 2.5 cups of water, and let the dal cook for two whistles on the cooker over medium heat and then another few minutes on low. Cook the rice as detailed below.
2. If your do not own a pressure cooker, set up two medium-sized pots on the stove.
3. Fill one pot with 2 cups of water and the other with 2.5 cups of water and bring to a boil.
4. To the pot with 2 cups of water, add 1 cup of basmati rice and throw in a couple bay leaves and a dash of cumin seeds
5. Add 1 cup of dal to the other pot and let both simmer, covered, over a low flame for twenty minutes.
6. In a small frying pan, heat two tablespoons of canola oil.
7. Once the oil is hot, add 1/2 teaspoon each of hing, turmeric, and black mustard seeds.
8. Fry until the seeds begin to pop and remove from heat.
9. Once the dal and rice have finished cooking (the dal should still be a bit liquidy/soupy), mix the dal and rice together with 1 teaspoon red chilli powder and the fried spices.
10. Serve piping hot and enjoy!

Looking for other great Maharashtrian food? When cooking for a big group, I serve often serve this with a delicious bhaji (Marathi curry) like Ghevda (green beans), Matar usal (peas), Palkachi bhaji (spinach), or Flower chi bhaji (cauliflower).