0.5 cup well-stirred coconut milk unsweetened canned
0.5 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 cup masoor dal (small orange, a.k.a. "red," lentils)
0.3 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons juice of lemon fresh
0.1 teaspoon pepper flakes red hot
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups water
Equipment
frying pan
sauce pan
Directions
Bring lentils and 3 cups water to a boil with turmeric in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, then gently simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until falling apart, about 20 minutes.
When lentils are cooked, heat oil in a small heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then cook mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and red pepper flakes until mustard seeds begin to pop and/or turn gray and cumin seeds brown, about 1 minute. Stir spice mixture into lentils with coconut milk, cilantro, lemon juice, and salt and bring to a simmer.
•Indian ingredients can be mail-ordered from Kalustyans.com.•Lentils, without spice oil, coconut milk, cilantro, and lemon juice, can be made 1 day ahead. Reheat and add remaining ingredients before serving.
