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1
Rinse 1 cup masoor dal (the orange lentils), or split yellow moong dal or toor dal and place ithe lentils in a crockpot whose insides you have lightly oiled.
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2
Add 3 cups water, put the crockpot on high and cook for two hours.
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3
Stir, and check to see if more water is needed. Keep checking for water and stirring every 30 minutes until the lentils are cooked smooth.
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4
When it is almost time to eat, in a large nonstick frying pan put the oil and mustard seeds. Heat over high heat until the mustard seeds have popped for about 10 seconds.
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5
Quickly stir in the hing and curry leaves.
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6
Add the tomatoes (optional) and serrano chilies. Stir-fry for about 4 minutes.
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7
Add the spinach (this is optional). Stir-fry until the spinach is very tender, adding a little water if needed.
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8
Stir in the turmeric, ground cumin and ground coriander.
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9
Combine the spices and lentils either in the frying pan or the crockpot and mix until well blended. Check for water.
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10
Add salt to taste and stir in the lemon juice. If desired, garnish with a little cilantro.
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11
Variation: Instead of the spinach you can add 1 minced carrot that you have cooked in a bowl of water in the microwave for about 10 minutes, along with 1 large diced potato. When adding the cooked carrot and potato pieces to the fryiing pan, add 1/2 cup frozen green beans and 1/4 cup frozen peas. If you want to use fresh green beans, cook them in the microwave like you did the carrots and potato.
