I first had this dish at a restaurant called Khyber Pass. I found a recipe for it on a site that specialized in Indian/ Afghani food under the title of Afghani dal. It is easy, quick-cooking and delicious.

Don’t be fooled by “red” lentils. First of all they are coral colored and turn yellow when you cook them. They are very quick cooking and turn creamy unlike their brown cousins.

I served the lentils over a bed of raw rainbow kale and a 50/50 mix of white rice and cauliflower rice. I also added an optional dollop of plain yogurt and a squirt of sriracha.

Afghani dal

2 tsp. olive oil
1 finely chopped medium onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tbsp. finely minced fresh ginger
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. ground cayenne
1 cup red lentils
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. kosher salt

Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a medium sauce pan. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and saute for about 5 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the salt, turmeric, cumin, cayenne and let them cook in the pan briefly and then add the lentils and broth, stir and turn the heat up to high. When the liquid boils, turn the heat down to a simmer, cover and cook until the lentils are very tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice and adjust salt if needed Serve with a spoonful of plain yogurt (or not) and rice, greens,warm pita or nan bread.