Nepalese Dal with Rice

Rinse the rice and cover it with 1.5 liters of water for 30 minutes.

Peel a piece of ginger root about 3 cm and grate it.

Spread black mustard seeds, fennel, broken cinnamon stick, and star anise on a preheated dry skillet. Roast over low heat for 2–3 minutes, shaking the skillet from time to time. Remove from heat and let cool.

Grind the cooled spices in a coffee grinder into a powder. You can also crush them in a mortar.

Drain the rice water into a pot and bring to a boil. Add red lentils and cook for about 10 minutes until soft. Remove from heat.

In another pot, pour 1 cup of boiling water over the rice, salt it, and cook for 12 minutes over low heat. Remove from heat, wrap in a towel, and let it stand for about 15 minutes.

Place the lentils together with chili pepper (optional) and grated ginger in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour back into the saucepan.

Dilute the tamarind paste in a small amount of hot water. Add it to the lentils along with salt, sugar, and ground spices. Start with half the spices to avoid overdoing it. Bring to a boil.

Remove from heat and add hot cooked rice.

The consistency of the dish should be similar to porridge — this is normal. You can leave it as is or dilute it with water to a soup consistency.

Let the dish rest for 10 minutes. Serve hot, sprinkled with cilantro leaves.