Rasam Lentils

This eastern dish has a lot of depth and flavour to it. It is delicious served with curry as an alternative to rice, but is eaten as a main meal in many Indian homes.
Serves 6

1 cup lentils
6 cups water
2T oil
1t black mustard seeds
5 cumin seeds
4 large tomatoes, peeled and quartered
1/4t black pepper
1t cumin powder
2 cloves garlic crushed
1t salt
2T lemon juice
2T chopped coriander

Bring 3 cups water to the boil. Add the lentils and reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes until tender.
Heat the oil in a heavy pot, add the mustard and cumin seeds and cook until they start to pop. Toss in the tomatoes, pepper, cumin and garlic and saute for a few minutes. Add 1 cup water and cook uncovered until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the lentils and 2 more cups of water. Simmer for 10-20 minutes. Add the lemon juice and coriander just before serving.

I love to mix this with Jasmine rice and serve with chicken curry. It reminds me of the Biryani I loved to each as a teenager.