Dal Bhat Recipe

Dal Bhat is quite often also served with fried spinach, veg curry, and a spicy pickle or relish Plain Rice (Bhat) 2 cups rice (Basmati or Long grain preferred) 4 cups (1 lt) water 1 tsp butter (optional) Lentils (Dal) 1½ cups lentil (any kind) 4 to 5 cups of water (depends preference of your consistency of liquid) ½ tsp turmeric 1 tsp garlic, minced 6 tbsp clarified butter (ghee) 3/4 cup sliced onions 2 chillies (dried red chilies preferred) (depends on your preference) Salt to taste OPTIONAL ¼ tsp (pinch) asafetida ¼ tsp (pinch) jimbu 1 tbsp fresh ginger paste

Preparation: Rice: 1 Wash rice and soak for 5 minutes. 2 Boil the rice over medium heat for about 10 -15 minutes. Stir once thoroughly. Add butter to give rice its taste as well as make it soft and fluffy. 3 Turn the heat to low and cook, covered, for 5 more minutes until done Lentils: 4 Wash lentils and soak for 10 minutes. 5 Remove anything that floats on the surface after and drain extra water. 6 Add drained lentils in to fresh water and bring to a boil again. Add all spices. 7 Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes until lentils are soft and the consistency is similar to that of porridge. 8 In a small pan heat the remaining of butter and fry the onions, chilies and garlic. 9 Stir into the lentils a few minutes before you stop boiling. Serve with rice. Rohit and Lok eating Dal Bhat at Shanti Restaurant (where we hold our conversation club) Volunteers eating Dal Bhat the traditional way (by hand) at their Nepali cooking class (Dal Bhat is the most common and classic Nepali recipe. It is the staple daily diet of the majority of the population.)

Dal Bhat Recipe