Kuwaiti Daal

1Preparation

1. Rinse the lentils several times, then soak them in cold water for 30 minutes and drain.
2. Chop the onions, crush the garlic, grate the ginger and chop the tomatoes.
3. Pierce the dried lime on two sides.

2Cooking

1. Put the lentils, water, turmeric and dried lime in a pot, bring to a boil and skim the foam.

   🔥 high heat⏱ 8 min timer
2. Partly cover and simmer, stirring now and then, until the lentils are completely soft and breaking down.

   🔥 low heat⏱ 30 min timer
3. In a pan, heat the ghee and oil, add the cumin seeds until they crackle, then add the onions and fry until golden.

   🔥 medium heat⏱ 8 min timer
4. Add the garlic, ginger, green chili and baharat, then the tomatoes, and cook until the tomatoes soften.

   🔥 medium heat⏱ 5 min timer
5. Pour the tempering into the lentils, add salt and simmer until creamy.

   🔥 low heat⏱ 5 min timer

3Serving

1. Remove the dried lime and sprinkle the daal with coriander.
2. Serve over plain white mashkhoul rice, with fried fish or zalata if you like.

💡 Tips & common mistakes

• Common mistake: adding salt and tomato with the lentils at the start — it slows their cooking. Add them once the lentils are soft.
• Daal thickens as it cools; loosen it with a little hot water when reheating.

🔁 Substitutions

• Split red lentils can replace toor dal; cook them for about 20 minutes.