O, You Beautiful Dal

Oh, you beautiful dal, you great big beautiful dal.
Let me put some rice about you, I don't want to eat without you. 


What can I say? At the risk of sounding immodest, this is the best dal I have ever made, which is sayin' summat. It came about in the ordinary, organic fashion - i.e. based on whatever was available in the kitchen - but I'm very glad I took the trouble to jot things down during the process, because the finished product was so good that it will certainly be appearing again. (In fact, it's got "company food" written all over it, so future dinner guests: start getting excited!)


Chana Dal with Kale and Coconut
Ingredients
~ 1-2 tbsp. oil
~ 1 tbsp. panch phoran 
~ 1 tsp. salt
~ 1 tsp. each: cumin seeds, black mustard seeds
~ 1 large onion, chopped
~ 1 heaping tbsp. each: minced garlic, freshly grated ginger
~ 1 tsp. each: chat masala, cumin, fenugreek, chili powder, salt 
~ 1/2 tsp. turmeric
~ 2 large carrots, sliced lengthwise and then into half-moons
~ 1 10 oz package mushrooms, sliced (about 2 cups)
~ 1.5 cups chana dal (yellow split peas)
~ 1-2 dried red chili peppers, chopped fine (fresh are fine, too; I just happened to have dried)
~ 1 14 oz. can light coconut milk
~ 1 14 oz. can regular coconut milk
~ 1.5 cups water
~ 1 small head kale, chopped (about 6 loosely packed cups)


Directions
~ In a colander or sieve, rinse and pick over the dal, then place in a bowl and cover with cold water; allow to soak for at least an hour (the longer the better).
~ In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat and and toast the panch phoran, mustard seeds, and cumin seeds until they begin to pop (about 1-2 minutes; you might want to cover the pot for this part).
~ Add the onions and cook about 3-4 minutes, until softened.

~ Add the garlic, ginger and dry seasonings; saute for another minute or so.
~ Stir in the carrots and mushrooms, and cook about 5 minutes.

~ Drain the chana dal, then add it to the pot along with the chopped red chilis. Stir to combine, and cook another 2 minutes 
~ Pour in the coconut milk and 1.5 cups of water; cover the pot, and bring to a boil.
~ Reduce heat to low, crack the lid a few inches, and cook for about 50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so to prevent sticking. (If it looks thicker than you'd like, you can add a little extra water, but remember that we're not making soup!)
~ Add the chopped kale and cook for another 10 minutes.

~ Serve hot over basmati rice.