Dinner plans: Dal tadka with Shan masala and dill

Every time I went to my aunt’s house for lunch, I’d plead with her for her dal recipe. On one such occasion, I went back home, substituted dill for the coriander hat I saw swimming in her dal, but it didn’t quite match up. One day, she finally relented and shared the secret to her recipe — Shan Dal Masala— a Pakistani spice mix that’s made with all the familiar spices, and packs quite a punch. Best of all this masala is available at grocery stores. In Mumbai, the whole line of spices is available at Crawford Market. Dal tadka with dill recipe [caption id=“attachment_36308” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Dal. Andrea_Nguyen from Flickr.”] [/caption] Ingredients: 4 tbsp ghee 1 large onion, chopped 1 tbsp Shan masala 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced 200g tur dal, soaked for a few hours 3-4 green chillies 1 tomato, peeled and chopped ½ bunch dill leaves 6-8 curry leaves Method: •In a pan, heat two tablespoons of the ghee and fry the onions for a minute, until translucent. Stir in the Shan masala and add the garlic. •Add the dal, tomato, dill leaves, tomato and green chillies and 4 cups of water. Boil over a low flame for 20-30 minutes or use a pressure cooker to speed up the process. •Once the dal is cooked, get the tempering ready. •Heat the remaining 2 tbsp of oil and fry the curry leaves for about a minute. Pour it over the dal and continue to cook for a few minutes. Shaheen writes about her quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie and baking escapades on The Purple Foodie .