Dressed up Dal

The Ingredients (for 4 servings):

• 200 g (or 1 cup) of channa dal lentils
• 450 g (or 1 lb) of Asian eggplants
• 115 g (or 4 oz) onion or scallion
• 30 g (or 2 tablespoons) of garlic
• 30 g (or 2 tablespoons) of fresh ginger root
• 4 g (or ½ tablespoon) of cumin seed
• 2 g (or ½ tablespoon) of ground coriander
• 3 g (or ½ tablespoon) of ground cumin
• 3 g (or ½ tablespoon) of Cayenne pepper
• 3 g (or ½ tablespoon) of curry powder
• 50 g (or 2 oz) of sundried tomatoes in oil
• 5 g (or 1 teaspoon) of salt
• olive oil

The Method:

1. Place the dal in a saucepan with 700 ml (or 3 cups) of water.
2. Bring the water to boiling point, then simmer the dal for 40 minutes.
3. Set the oven to heat to 190°C (or 375°F).
4. Wash the eggplants and place them on a baking tray in the oven.
5. Roast the eggplants for 15 minutes, turn them over, and roast for another 15 minutes.
6. While the dal is simmering and the eggplants are roasting, finely chop or grind together the onion, garlic and ginger.
7. After roasting the eggplants, take them out of the oven and allow them to cool on a chopping board.
8. Chop the eggplants into bite-size pieces.
9. Heat a large skillet on the stove over medium heat and add a small amount of olive oil.
10. Place the cumin seeds in the oil and, when bubbles form around them, add the onion, garlic, and ginger, and stir-fry them until they no longer smell raw.
11. Add the cardamom, powdered cumin, Cayenne, and curry powder and continue to stir for about 1 minute.
12. Add the salt, tomatoes, and eggplant, and stir-fry for about 2 minutes.
13. Add the dal and stir to mix all ingredients thoroughly.