Masoor Dal Chur Churi is a traditional Anglo-Indian recipe from the 1860s for a for a classic vegetarian curry of red lentils with spices. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Anglo-Indian version of: Masoor Dal Chur Churi.
Instead of only half a dozen onions, take a dozen, and cut them into fine slices lengthways. Warm
the three-quarters of a chittack of ghee, fry and set aside the sliced onions, then fry all the ground
condiments; next put in and fry the dal, having previously washed it well, soaked it in water for
about a quarter of an hour, and drained it through a colander. When thoroughly fried and browned,
add only a little water, barely sufficient to cover the fried dal, and allow to simmer from ten to
fifteen minutes, or until the dal has dissolved. Serve up, strewing over it the fried onions. If chunna
ka dal be used, soak it for an hour.
Half an anna's worth of any dal will suffice for a party of four. The condiments are as
follow:— Three-quarters of a chittack of ghee, four tspfuls of ground onions, one tspful
of ground chilies, half a tspful of ground turmeric, half a tspful of ground ginger, a
quarter of a tspful of ground garlic, one tspful and a half of salt, and half a dozen onions
cut into six or eight slices each.
Modern Redaction
Though not in the original recipe, it is typical, today, to add garam masala here, so I have added it. You can remove this if you want to be absolutely true to the 19th century version.
Wash the dal, place in a bowl, cover with water and set aside for 2 hours to soak. After this time, drain the lentils in a colander and set aside.
Place a curry pan over high heat. When hot add the ghee, reduce the heat to medium-low then use to fry the onions for about 5 minutes until soft and beginning to colour. Remove the onions with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add the spices and pastes to the ghee remianing in the pan and stir-fry for 2 minutes then add in in the garam masala (if using) and stir fry for 30 seconds before adding the drained lentils and stir to coat in the ghee.
Season with the salt and add enough vegetable stock to just cover the lentis. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered for about 15 minutes, or until the dhal is tender and have broken down.
Turn into a serving bowl, garnish with the fried onions and bring to the table.
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