Then, an epiphany! On a recent trip to my favorite Indian grocery (Apna Bazaar in Beaverton, Oregon, is my happy place), I noticed bags of a split, skin-on black dal right next to the whole black lentils that require so much time. Would those machine-split beans deliver the same creamy goodness? I had to find out.
Because the split dal cooks in a fraction of the time required for whole lentils, I was able to skip the original recipe’s 2- to 3-hour simmering step. Next you’re supposed to add the garlic, ginger, tomato puree, and spices; because the dal simmers for hours, the raw taste of garlic and ginger dissipates with time. Since the split lentils took only 45 minutes cook, I was left with a harsh, raw garlic flavor. So in my next trial, I sauteed the garlic, ginger, and other aromatics first, then added the lentils and water, more like a traditional soup recipe. That tweak mellowed the flavors nicely.