What are your favorite type of lentils, what do you use them in, why are they preferred for that dish than others?
I recently realized I have only had maybe 1 or two types, and upon searching them found they all supposedly taste different and have different textures.
Wherher it is for cheap decent soup or an old family recipe; slap me with some information
Lately, my go-to lazy meal has been rice with pancharatna (5-jewel) daal. It is hearty, easy, and does not need a lot of spices to be flavourful.
Udad daal Masoor daal Moong daal Chana daal Arhar daal (Please check translations online as they have various names in English. These are the Hindi names.)
Half a cup of this mix in a pressure cooker with one cup of water, or slow cook it in a saucepan. Ghee in a saucepan, as much as you want + some oil to prevent it from burning. Cumin, 2-3 cloves of garlic and one green chilli cut in half lengthwise. Pinch of salt. When the garlic is golden, put in some chopped tomatoes, add half a teaspoon of turmeric and half tsp salt, and fry until mushy. Drop in the lentils and cook slowly. Add water if you want it more runny. Taste and add the final bit of salt to taste Optional garnish with coriander leaves and best served with basmati rice.
Try cooking the basmati rice with a couple of cloves and a bay leaf for that added aroma.