i am making an Indian feast on Thursday evening and have a recipe for lentil dhal - it says 2 tsp mustard - does anybody know the best mustard to use for this recipe?
Thanks for your help in advance

would it be mustard seeds???

I thought of that, maybe I'll try them and grind them down in my pestle and mortar first - thanks Ginos fan

Porridge - I am sure I have seen Madhur Jaffrey cooking dhal and she fried mustard seeds in a little hot oil with minced garlic and curry leaves for just a few moments. Then she poured it over the cooked dhal.

Hi Porridge, When does the recips say you add the mustard?

In Indian cooking you will find that when you use mustard seed, black or brown, they are generally used whole. Either put into the hot oil or ghee until they are popping and then the onions etc are added. Or very often with dhal they form part of the tarka that is poured over the lentils just before serving them.

My favourite tarka (not a classic combination but I like it) is mustard seed, cumin seed and fenugreek seed and slivers of garlic into very hot oil until they are popping and the garlic is browning. Pour over the dhal. The sizzling and the aroma is wonderful.

hi Terry the recipe says, heat ghee until it simmers, add garlic, chilli and ginger, all the spices and herbs, mustard, tomato, onion and celery, fry for about 10 minutes until well blended. What do you think - whole mustard seeds?

Hi again Porridge, I would definitely use the whole seeds.

Ok another opinion here. It seems unusual for any liquid, the tomato, to be put in at the frying stage. From the recipes I have used, I have never come across one that uses celery either. Maybe somone else on here can help in this regard.

So the basic process is fry gently your initial flavourings including large pinch of asafoetida , add the lentils and fry these gently for a few minutes. Add the stock or water and simmer until the lentils are as soft as you like them, maybe adding a little addtional water if it is drying out. The exact time depends on the lentils. Then in my case add the tarka!

Should the lentils be soaked first Terry - it doesn't say so in the recipe - I have bought split red lentils? thanks for all your help - you are a star!

It wasn't tinned tomateos in the recipe - it is whole tomatoes incidentally.

My recipe for tarka dhal uses 6oz red split lentils (washed not soaked) to 1.25 pints water. Bring to the boil with the lid of the saucepan off for the first 10 mins as the lentils may froth up leaving a mess that seems to weld itself to the hob.
regards
Mike

Sorry Porridge had go and do other things for a wee while. Generally all lentils need to be checked for small stones, washed well but not necessarily steeped.

Don't let me worry you about the toms or the celery for that matter, it was just a comment from me, there are plenty of lentil recipes where they don't even fry the spices.

And please, I am definitely not an expert on this, what I have said is just my take on it. I do like tarka dhal as a side dish and so does the family.

Thanks for all your help Terry, much appreciated, I will let you know on Friday how it tasted!

Hi Porridge,

To soak or not to soak, depends on the age of the lentils. I know it may sound strange but the older the lentils get the longer they take too cook. If lentils are more then 6 months old then, yes do soak them for at least 2 hours.

On your original point it will most definitely will be whole mustard seeds and they should be added right at the start and allowed to pop, before the onion, garlic, tomatoes etc.

hope this helps.

Reshma

Thanks for clearing up the point about soaking the lentils Reshma, I guess it has never been a problem for me as I never have the lentils that long.

i would also go with the mustard seeds, as for the asofetida,did you know that the onion and garlic flavour it gives to curries etc is also used mainly in vegetarian dishes especially lentil because of its anti flatulence properties... kimi.x

LOL, seems strange that asofetida has anti flatulence properties, and also has the name Devil's Dung!!

I have just made the lentil dhal as I thought I could leave in in the fridge overnight and heat through again tomorrow which will give me more time to make the other stuff - i popped the mustard seeds at the beginning, then added all the other stuff - I have just tasted it and it tastes like the real thing - I'll let you know what my guests think - thanks for the help again guys!!

lol rustie wekk suited names i think!!!

incidentally - I didn't use Devils dung in my lental dhal!

Ahhh, so flatulence all round then? Maybe if you had got wind of it earlier you would have used it?

Sorry Porridge, only joking, hope all goes well for you.

live and learn!!! lol

porridge - if i had smelled the devils dung BEFORE i bought it, i would not now have it now on my spice shelf. as for the antiflatulence, i'm not sure it did any good!?!good luck for tomorrow/today

Hi everybody, my curry night went perfectly, lentil dhal was a great success, I also did paneer tikka, pilau rice and naan bread, OH made a chicken curry and he also did some great vegetable pakoras for starters - we all drank far too much wine and I have a headache this morning - once again thanks too all for help with the lentil dhal.

im so pleased you all enjoyed the food and the evening, as for the head, hair of the dog!!! wish i had been there it all sounds yummy!!! kimi.

Lime Pickle - Advice needed! I made lime pickle last night and the recipe said to dry fry the spices including whole mustard seeds. It says to take them off the heat when the spices start to colour and the mustard seeds pop. The spices did colour but there was very little popping... I finished making the pickle but am now worried that I didn't fry the seeds for long enough - does anyone think this will dramatically effect the end product? I was worried that frying the seeds might soften them and therefore they may be too hard when the pickle is ready to eat... Any suggestions!? Thanks