I had dal for the first time on my Netherlands retreat. Out in the countryside in a cabin at a long, farmhouse-style table with the other ladies from my group, we ate blindfolded, with our bare hands.

It was a sensuous experience. The only things to focus on were the flavors and textures of the food. After we finished eating, we remained in the dark comfort of our blindfolds, not having to worry about what we looked like or what others were thinking. Someone started singing and we all joined in.

I knew when I got home that I had to make me some dal, whether the kids liked it or not.

Fortunately, though they complain mightily whenever I make it, once they start eating this incredibly hearty and filling meal, everyone quiets down. I adapted this recipe from the Steamy Kitchen. While it isn’t terribly fast, it is one of the easiest dinners to make and we have it once every week or two.

You’ll need:

1 16 oz. bag of dried lentils

1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes

1 13.5 oz. can of unsweetened coconut milk

1 stick of unsalted butter OR 1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

fresh garlic and ginger if you have it, otherwise powdered or none at all

fresh cilantro for a garnish (if you have it)

chili paste

Optional: 1 onion, chopped

In a large pot, combine the lentils and the crushed tomatoes. I refill the empty tomato can to about the 1/3-1/2 mark to rinse out whatever tomato remains on the sides of the can. On medium low to low heat, cook covered until the lentils are soft, stirring occasionally.

You can heat the beans for hours on low if you make sure they have enough to drink, but in a pinch I’ve cut them off at 40 minutes, at which point the lentils still have a little bit of fight left in them, but break open easily when you bite down on them.

When the liquid evaporates the first time (for me, this takes just under 20 mins. on med/low heat), you can add a little moisture (1-2 cups of water and the butter. Depending on how thick you want the sauce to be, you can be conservative with the water here), then turn it down to low.As the lentils get closer to the tenderness you prefer, add the coconut milk. Sometimes I add the coconut milk the first time the lentils start to run out of liquid. Scrape the can with a spatula or use water to rinse the remaining coconut milk into the dal.

You want the sauce to be thick, but not a solid. The lentils are thirsty little bastards, and will suck up almost any liquid you put in the pot. (When I reheat leftovers, I usually sprinkle a little water to give it back some movement.) If it seems too watery, you can leave it heating on medium uncovered for a little while to allow some of the moisture to evaporate (or for it to get sucked up by the beans).

Before or after the coconut milk, add salt and pepper (I used a little over 1 tsp salt, and a healthy layer of freshly ground black pepper), a dollop of chili paste depending on how spicy you want it, your fresh garlic (I send mine through a masher), and ginger (I peel it and cut it into small chunks. Whoever bites into them is in for a surprise and I love the flavor it adds. If you don’t want to surprise anyone, cut the ginger into very tiny pieces).

UPDATE: Since I published this post, I discovered that using the small side of my grater is an easy way to add the ginger. I just shave a little of the brown skin off with a knife, and then grate some in to taste. This discovery felt wonderful, because it made an easy meal even easier.

If you don’t have fresh spices, add powdered garlic and ginger to taste. If you have the time, let it heat for a while longer to let the flavors meld.

If you’re using onion, add it towards the end so it doesn’t get overcooked. This is a personal preference – if you like your onion disintegrated, by all means add it earlier on. (If you’re like us, your farm share wraps up the year with piles and piles of onions the size of softballs. This is a great way to use them.)

Once all the ingredients are added, you can let it simmer or just sit on the stove till you’re ready to eat it. Aside from mashing the garlic and chopping the ginger, this recipe requires almost no work other than the operation of the can opener.

I’ve made it without ginger, without garlic, and without both, and because of the lovely flavor of the coconut milk, it always tastes good.

I like it best served with Basmati rice and fresh greens. I have a dream of serving it with my favorite garlic naan recipe, but this dal recipe is so little work, it feels wrong to ruin it with hours of labor just to make some naan, which while delicious, is a hassle.

The finished recipe fills a 6.5 qt. sauce pot to roughly the halfway point, and it serves my family of nine. Depending on our appetites, the grown ups and some of the kids get to eat it for lunch for a day or two afterwards. It takes remarkably little dal to feel full.

For the version pictured in this post, I used 4 small cloves of fresh garlic and powdered ginger, and added a full two cups of water to the lentils at the 20-minute mark. It took just under 1:20 from start to finish. My two year old, who never eats dinner with us, had thirds. The big kids agreed it needed a little more salt, which we added (the amount listed is the final amount used), and said they missed the fresh ginger.

After I wrote this post, I picked up naan at our local warehouse store, about $4 for 6 big pieces, because I realized I may never make homemade naan the same night that I make dal. I had run out of butter and made the dal with olive oil instead. I had one shriveled piece of fresh ginger, which I threw whole into the dal to simmer. It was a different but equally delicious flavor, scooped onto fluffy pieces of naan.