Yoga and cooking

Yesterday I went to an Indian cooking lesson at the home of a friend from yoga, another lovely place in San Juan Capistrano, though not the palace of a few weeks ago. Short of cash because her husband lost his job, she decided to try teaching us to cook daal and rice, something she herself learned to do from her ayervedic doctor some time ago.
I have in the past made dal, but it has been a while, so I decided to join in the party and renew my acquaintance with this Indian dish.
For those who aren't familiar with it, dal is a staple of Indian vegetarian cooking made of lentils, spices, and onion. Its pure, simple heartiness plays off of the subtle sauces and complex preparation of other Indian dishes.
The secret of making good dal, apparently, is the quality of the few ingredients. Our hostess bought organic spices, rice, lentils, and vegetables, including spinach. She said that any vegetable could be combined with the lentils, but she chose spinach for its vibrant contrast with the orange of the lentils, and stressed the need for the cooks' positive attitude and anticipation as we prepared the meal.
Unlike me, with my haphazard and frenzied approach to meal preparation, she was meticulous about the thinness of the slicing, the focus of the cook as she prepared each individual ingredient.
There were 7 of us, only one other person I knew initially, and only one pot, one frying pan, so we took turns doing the tasks necessary to prepare the meal.
When it was finished, I had already noshed on the organic non-gluten crackers and had two cups of rose tea, which smelled like a fresh bouquet of American Beauties. All of us had developed an appetite in the preparation, and enjoyed our meal.
Our hostess had gained a good deal from this way of eating and living. She had epilepsy as a child and young adult, but with yoga, meditation, and ayervedic diet, she completely eliminated the symptoms and the need for medication. Though I do not attend her yoga classes, since I study only Iyengar yoga and she is not an Iyengar teacher, I consider her a friend and thank her for her assistance in Bob's yoga class, where she sometimes gently corrects my asanas.
Here is the recipe she gave us:
1 cup of Masoor Dal (split red lentils)
1/2 tsp of organic mineral salt
pure water
1-2 tbs of ghee, Indian clarified butter, which comes in a can, or make your
own
1/2 thinly sliced organic onion
1 tsp cumin seed
a pinch of asafetida (hing) [caution! make it a relatively small pinch; this is
potent stuff, which in abundance can make your home smell like the inside
of an old gym shoe]
1/2 tsp turmeric (she recommended organic, since regular can be cut with
other spices)
1-2 fingers of finely chopped organic ginger
1 thinly sliced bunch of spinach (or any green vegetable, such as asparagus,
chard, etc.)
1 small chopped bunch of cilantro
1 chopped avocado
organic salt and pepper to taste
Garnish with finely chopped organic cilantro, avocado cubes, a nd sliced organic lime. Serves 4 with basmati rice.
Rinse the lentils until the water becomes less cloudy (approximately 4 or 5 times)
Soak lentils for 45 minutes
Rinse and replace the water till it is about 3 fingers above the level of the lentils
Bring to a boil partially covered; then skim off the foam! This is important because otherwise
you'll get gas.
Reduce the heat, adding salt and turmeric.
Cover and cook until creamy, which takes a while.
In a separate small saute pan, heat the ghee on high.
Add cumin seeds till they pop (watch your eyes)
Reduce heat, adding the onion to the cumin seeds and onion, and saute till the onions are translucent.
Add other spices (the ginger and asafetida)
Pour all of the contents of the frying pan into the lentils, stir, and then serve over the rice.
Serve with naan or flatbread.