Arugula and Red Lentil Dal

From the garden

• 8 cups arugula, packed, roughly chopped, thick stems removed
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tsp fresh turmeric, grated (optional) · or 1/2 tsp ground turmeric, which is what turns the pot gold
• 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp whole cumin seed
• 2 dried red chiles, broken in half · or a generous pinch of chile flakes
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

From the pantry

• 1½ cups red lentils (masoor dal), rinsed until the water runs clear
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 3 tbsp neutral oil · the tarka wants all of it
• 1½ cups rice · for serving
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• salt · to taste

1. Simmer the rinsed lentils in 4 cups of water with the turmeric and a teaspoon of salt, skimming the foam that rises in the first minutes, until they slump into a loose porridge, about 15 minutes.
2. Start the rice while the lentils cook. Stir the onion and tomatoes into the pot and simmer another 10 minutes, until the tomato pieces have melted and the dal mounds softly on a spoon.
3. Add the arugula in big handfuls, pushing each one under before the next goes in, about 3 minutes in all. Its raw pepperiness settles into something closer to cooked mustard greens in the hot dal.
4. Heat the oil in a small pan until it shimmers, add the cumin seed and chiles, and wait about 30 seconds for the seeds to darken a shade and smell toasty. Add the garlic and ginger and fry to pale gold.
5. Pour the tarka, oil and all, over the dal and stir it through once. Taste for salt, scatter the cilantro, and serve over rice with lemon wedges to squeeze at the table.