Parippu Hodi - Sri Lankan dal

I've been thinking about Sri Lanka lately. I think part of it has to do with reminiscing this past weekend about my time spent studying abroad there, telling stories about my host family and my little host sister, or nangi. My host family was really fond of this white bread that you could find at any corner store. It had a tough, thick crust and a soft, white inside. Most oddly, it was very tall and narrow, meaning you got about as much of the soft, white inside as you did of the crust. 

Tall and skinny pieces of Sri Lankan bread.

My favorite part was the crust. It was tough, so it soaked up all the flavors of the soupy curries most excellently, and softened without becoming too soggy. My nangi, on the other hand, loved the soft, inner white part. The time I traded the insides of my bread for her crust, she was incredulous. "Aki (older sister), are you sure??" Even my host mother, Ami, seemed skeptical that I actually wanted the crust. 

Dushyanti, my nangi. Self-portrait. 

But as much as my host family loved that bread, my favorite by far was the pol roti, or coconut flat bread. My new comfort food after coming back from Sri Lanka (once I taught myself how to make it in the States) was parippu hodi and pol roti. This was one of my favorite breakfasts in Sri Lanka. Simple, nourishing, and delicious. 

Parippu hodi, with a curry leaf on top.

I was craving that simple, nourishing food today. Rich, coconutty, curried lentils. Crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside pol roti. This parippu recipe might seem a little involved. If you want to skip the tempering step, you can just add all the spices at the beginning and cook them all together with the lentils. The tempering, though, just adds a different flavor, and you should try it if you can.

Parippu Hodi
Serves 2-3.

Ingredients

1 cup red split lentils, washed and picked over for any stones

4-6 tbsp ghee/coconut oil/mustard oil

1 white or yellow onion, diced, divided in half

8 cloves of garlic, roughly minced, divided in half

2 tsp ground turmeric

3 tsp curry powder

10-12 curry leaves

1 cinnamon stick (~3 in.), lightly smashed into large pieces under a knife

1 can coconut milk (14 oz)

1 1/2 cup room temp water
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp ground coriander

Instructions for the curry
Heat ghee/coconut oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add half of the diced onion, half of the minced garlic cloves (4 cloves), and salt to taste; stir for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. 

Add 2 tsp turmeric, 3 tsp curry powder, 5-6 curry leaves and the smashed cinnamon stick. Stir for 1-2 minutes. 

Stir in 1 cup lentils for 2-3 minutes, then add 1 1/2 cup room temperature water. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a low simmer. 

Add the coconut milk, and bring to a low simmer again. Let simmer for about 20-30 minutes until lentils are falling apart and dhal has thickened. While simmering, make the temper. If the parippu finishes before you finish the temper, turn down to the lowest heat and leave on the stove. 

Instructions for tempering
In a dry pan over medium low heat, toast the 1 tsp cumin seeds for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Set aside. 

Heat ghee/coconut oil/mustard oil in the pan on med-low heat. Add 2 tsp mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, add the other half of the diced onion, the rest of the garlic (4 cloves) and salt to taste. Stir until fragrant (about 30 seconds), then add the 1/2 tsp coriander and the rest of the curry leaves (5-6). Add a few chili flakes if you like it spicy. Stir on heat for 2-5 minutes. 

Final steps
Once the temper is finished, stir it into the thickened dhal. Serve with pol roti (Sri Lankan coconut flatbread), naan or rice.