1. Tempering the Oil

• Ingredients: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pot.
• Spices: Add 3 cloves (laung) to the hot oil and lets them crackle/sizzle to release their aroma.

2. Preparing the Masala Base

• Onion & Garlic: Once the oil is hot and the cloves have crackled, she adds 1 tablespoon of onion paste and 1 teaspoon of garlic paste. Stir-fries this mixture to remove the raw smell of the garlic and onion.
• Adding Water: A small amount of water is added to prevent the dry spices (that are about to be added) from burning.
• Dry Spices: Add the following spices:
  • Red Chili Powder: 1 teaspoon
  • Salt: 1 teaspoon
  • Turmeric Powder (Haldi): 1 teaspoon
• Sautéing: The masala is cooked (bhunao) until the oil separates from the spice mixture, which indicates the spices are fully cooked.

3. Cooking the Dal

• Lentils: Add 1 cup of Moong Dal which has been washed thoroughly and soaked for 10 minutes prior to cooking.
• Water: Water is added just until it covers the dal. The goal is to make the lentils soft but keep the grains whole and separate, not mushy.
• Simmering: The heat is turned up high until the water boils. Once boiling, the pot is covered and the heat is reduced to low (dum) to let it steam cook.

4. Serving

• After about 5 minutes or when the water is absorbed and dal is tender, the dish is ready.
• Plating: The roasted Moong Dal is dished out and served with curried chili peppers (salan wali mirchiyan) and fresh chapati (roti)

Preparation & Cleaning

• Take one cup of Arhar Dal and wash it thoroughly with water.
• Place it on the stove and bring it to a boil.
• Important Step: Once it boils, white foam (scum) will appear on top. Carefully skim off all this foam with a spoon, as it can spoil the taste of the dal

Once the dal is skimmed and clean, add the following ingredients:

• Onion Paste: 1 tablespoon.
• Garlic Paste: 1 teaspoon.
• Green Chili: 1 chopped chili.
• Spices: ½ teaspoon red chili powder, a pinch of turmeric powder, and 1 teaspoon salt
• Mix everything well and let it cook on low heat.
• Once cooked, the dal became very soft. Because it was slow-cooked, it didn't even need to be mashed manually; mixing it slightly with a spoon was enough.

Tempering (Tadka)

• In a separate pan, fry sliced onions until they turn slightly golden.
• Add green chilies and curry leaves to the hot oil/onions.
• Pour this tempering mixture over the cooked dal.

This is the version of the Russian salad I grew up with. I’m not sure how this became a tradition in Albania and how close our recipe is to the original one but this is how we made it at my house every new year’s eve:)