Reviewed: Mar. 18, 2012

Great recipe, the only Dal my kids will eat. Great flavors. I do use the asafoetida but store it in the garage.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
1 user found this review helpful

Reviewer:

ducmama

Supporting Member (Click to learn more about Supporting Membership)

Reviewed: Mar. 15, 2012

I made this recipe without the asafoetida. I'm just not going to go there...anyway, it was still tasty and we all liked it. I did pump up the chile pepper a bit though.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
2 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

MONICA397

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Marrero, Louisiana, USA

Living In: Bixby, Oklahoma, USA

Reviewed: Mar. 7, 2012

I think the recipe would be better served by listing "moong dal" as the first ingredient instead of dried yellow split peas. As another reviewer noted, moong dal and regular split peas are not the same thing. I suspect that's why so many people are struggling to get them soft in a short time. I used moong dal (Parivar brand) purchased in an Indian grocer as my first ingredient and they softened and thickened as described in the recipe. I pretty much followed the recipe as written, and it turned out quite good. I could use a bit more flavoring, so next time I might add a bit more hot pepper (chipotle maybe) or something. Not sure quite what it's missing, but it seemed somewhat bland to me for Indian food. I liked it, though, and I served it over basmati rice that I purchased at the same Indian grocer. I think it's a good basic recipe and can be tailored to taste quite easily. It's also pretty easy and quick to make, if you start with the proper ingredients, dal that is. Thanks for a good recipe!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
0 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Susan

Reviewed: Feb. 11, 2012

This is pretty good, and easy to make. It just required a lot longer cooking time. Next time, I will soak the beans longer because it needed almost 2 hours of simmering, but I like them between al dente and mush. I keep those squeeze tubes of ginger, garlic, chili paste, and cilantro in the fridge at all times, so I just added one hefty squeeze of each. I fried the cumin seeds and red pepper flakes in butter and added it. Also used half a can of fire roasted tomatoes that I had left over from something else. Seasoned liberally with garlic pepper. YUM. Definitely a keeper!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
0 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

DIVIANA

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Livermore, California, USA

Living In: Tracy, California, USA

Reviewed: Jan. 29, 2012

The amount of water for the split peas to soak and cook in definitely isn't enough. I added 3 more cups of water to get it soft enough and cooked it 30 - 40 minutes longer... The pan fried cumin seeds and crushed red pepper made it quite spicy... Following the directions as is was almost a disaster... I was terrified...

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
0 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

catyvhw

Reviewed: Nov. 5, 2011

Just finished making this for the first time. First off, I bought hing online and although the smell is indeed pungent, it definitely mellows as it cooks. I wound up adding some curry powder I had too. The dal can be found at many health food stores - generally in the bulk aisle! The jalapeno gave just enought heat. Overall a delicious recipe!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
2 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

NJ VeggieGirl

Reviewed: Oct. 29, 2011

I greatly appreciate having this recipe as a guide. I also greatly appreciate the wonderful advice of fellow reviewers, who've helped me see the multiple spin-offs that are possible. My little addition to all this is to say how successfully this recipe can be done in a pressure cooker. I sauteed the onions and garlic and spices first, adding the other ingredients and liquid, then sealing the top and cooking in the pressure cooker for 5 min., letting it release pressure slowly after turning the element off. The whole business took all of 15 minutes, and came out perfectly cooked! It is delicious, and so great with rice. In the store I bought it in, it was called split mung bean, and looks like a tiny version of yellow split peas. I combined them with red lentils.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
3 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

krakatowa

Reviewed: Oct. 26, 2011

Great! I made this as directed except I didn't have asafoetida and I added 3/4 of a green bell pepper as I cooked the cumin and garlic. My South Indian husband thought it was second only to his mom's!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
2 users found this review helpful