When I attended USC, there was a lunch shop across the street called A Taste of India. The fare was hardly haute cuisine, but it was warming, tasty, and very inexpensive for a budget-challenged college student. It was also my first real exposure to food from that region of the world. At the shop, they served a mellow, but delicious yellow dal mixed with spinach and diced tomato. This recipe attempts to recreate that dish, with a slight change in texture.

Ingredients
454 grams yellow dal from Shayan International Market
4½ cups chicken stock + at least several cups extra, as desired
2¼ tsp whole cumin seeds
2¼ tsp whole coriander
165 grams (about 2 roma) tomatoes, prepared a la tomato concasse
1 white onion, diced
salt to taste, about 3½ tsp total
2 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
1 tsp turmeric
1 pinch cayenne*
½ tsp garam masala
freshly wilted spinach
freshly diced tomato

*For extra heat, increase the amount of cayenne and consider adding a green chile, as seen in this Times Online rendition.

1. Rinse the dal, removing any obvious impurities, and soak in cool water for 30 minutes. Drain.
2. Add 4½ cups of chicken stock to the dal in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Skim off any foam as needed. Continue to simmer the dal for 20 minutes, partially covered. Reserve.
3. Toast the cumin and coriander. Return the spices to a grinder and reduce to a fine powder. Reserve.
4. Cook the onion in a frying pan over medium or medium-high heat, seasoning with salt and ginger. When the onion is semi-translucent, mix in the ground spices from the previous step as well as the turmeric, cayenne, and tomato concasse. Allow the contents of the pan to cook for one more minute.
5. Add the dal to the pan. Cover and gently simmer until the dal is tender, about 30-50 more minutes. Then remove the pan from heat.
6. Puree the dal mixture with a food processor or an immersion blender. Add additional chicken stock to achieve the desired consistency. Stir in the garam masala.
7. Serve the puree in small bowls, placing a small amount of wilted spinach and freshly diced tomato on top.

For critical commentary, see Christmas 2009 in Review.