New World Meets Old In Green Chile Dal
 | Author:
Jon Bennion, Montana Free Press
Jon Bennion, Montana Free Press |
Fusing ‘Indian’ classics across hemispheres of flavor
This article was originally published in the Montana Free Press on August 25, 2025. It is published here courtesy of the Montana Free Press.
https://montanafreepress.org/2025/08/25/new-world-meets-old-in-green-chile-dal/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newspack%20Newsletter%20%28251555%29&utm_source=2
I’m not sure how long it took 15th-century European explorers to realize they hadn’t, in fact, found a new way to travel to India, but applying the name “Indians” to the long-time inhabitants of the Western Hemisphere’s “New World” launched a misnomer that’s inexplicably lasted. You might think that this obvious mislabeling would have led to a quick correction, but more than 500 years later, here we still are.
The Indigenous people of the Western Hemisphere and Indians of the Asian subcontinent are distinctively diverse in their own respective rights. American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous populations stretching from the upper reaches of North America to the southern tip of South America had and still have distinct languages, customs, histories and food traditions. The same is true of southern Asian Indians, a vast population of more than a billion people with a broad variety of culinary practices, languages, religions and cultures, all within the modern borders of India. A comparison of the two — especially on the food side of things — show little obvious overlap.
I don’t think we appreciate enough how much the world culinary scene changed when the two hemispheres finally met. So many ingredients exclusively available on one side of the world and completely unknown to the other were introduced and quickly spread. It’s hard now to imagine Irish cuisine without potatoes, Italian food without tomatoes, and French desserts without vanilla. These and many other ingredients originated in what was later named North and South America.
Three years ago, I began a personal journey to learn the basics of food from southern India. As I became familiar with the fundamentals, I also made some fusion dishes with my own culinary stamp. Dal is a popular meal on the Indian subcontinent that incorporates pulses, aromatics and spices into a satisfying vegetarian or vegan meal. Lentils break down in this recipe to create a creamy consistency that nourishes with superfood properties. I developed this dal recipe using flavoring agents and culinary co-stars that were available exclusively to the Indigenous populations of the Western Hemisphere more than 500 years ago.
While lentils aren’t a New World ingredient, Montana just happens to grow more of them than any other part of the country. The variety I use for this dish is the red lentil, called “masoor dal” in Hindi. They are quick-cooking, highly nutritious and a good source of protein. They turn from vibrant reddish-orange to a golden yellow color when cooked. You can often find them in one- to five-pound bags or in the bulk food section, especially in health food stores.
This dal is enhanced by and paired with ingredients that weren’t a part of Old World cuisine until European explorers brought them back home. Chiles, avocados, tomatoes, pumpkins (this recipe uses the seeds) and a cameo appearance by American Indian fry bread (instead of the traditional Indian naan) are the ingredients I use to blend the rich culinary traditions of these vastly different populations into something you will love to share on your kitchen table.
This recipe uses Hatch chiles from New Mexico, which are in season now. They can often be found in Montana grocery stores during August and September, or you can order them online (either fresh or frozen). If you miss the window for fresh Hatch chiles, consider using their cousins, Anaheim chiles, which can be found nearly everywhere, year-round, in Montana grocery stores. If you’re in a pinch and can’t find either, you can often find cans of diced green chiles (either mild or hot) in the aisle that stocks Hispanic ingredients.
The dal and fry bread make a great meal alone, but you can also serve the dal over a fragrant bed of basmati rice. If you double or triple this recipe, you can save multiple portions in the freezer for nights when you aren’t up for cooking from scratch. This is one of my family’s favorite freezer meals for a hearty and nutritious dinner.
DAL INGREDIENTS
Serves 4-6
A collection of fresh ingredients, including dry red lentils, chilies, onion, tomato, and a lime
Credit: Jon Bennion / MTFP
1 cup dry red lentils
4 cups water
1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1.5 cups)
1 small tomato, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
3 large or 4 medium Hatch or Anaheim chile peppers (or a 4 oz. can of diced green chiles)
1 lime
1 tbsp freshly minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp cumin
vegetable or avocado oil
kosher salt and pepper
optional toppings: cilantro, avocado slices, chopped tomato, thinly sliced jalapeño, pumpkin seeds, lime juice
FRY BREAD INGREDIENTS
1 cup flour
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
hefty pinch of kosher salt
hefty pinch of sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
vegetable oil
Preheat your outdoor grill. Place your Hatch or Anaheim chiles on the preheated grill and cover for 3-4 minutes without leaving them unattended. Lift the lid and check their progress. You want them dark and blistered (but not burned) with the skin separating from the flesh. When they reach this point on the grill side, turn the chiles and complete the process for all sides. When they’re done, place the chiles in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap to let them steam.
After half an hour, you should be able to handle the chiles and separate the skins from the flesh. Discard the skins, then open the chiles to remove the seeds and stem. Cut the flesh into 1/4-inch squares and set aside.
In a medium-size pot, sauté the finely diced onion in 2 tablespoons of vegetable or avocado oil over medium heat. Add salt and pepper. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the cumin, chopped tomatoes, chiles and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes start to break down.
Rinse your lentils until the water runs clear and drain. Add them to the pot with your other ingredients, plus 4 cups of water, 1/2 tsp kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, and bring to a boil on high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and stir every 3-5 minutes until the lentils are cooked, about 30 minutes. The consistency should be similar to a rough puree with a bit of texture from the soft lentils. Keep in mind that it will thicken as it cools.
To make the fry bread, whisk the dry ingredients and combine with milk until the mixture forms a ball. Let it rest for 30 minutes, then divide into 6 equal pieces. Flatten the pieces with your hands into 4-inch discs. Cook in a preheated pan over medium heat in half an inch of vegetable oil until golden brown on each side.
Add the juice from half a lime to the lentils just before serving. Check for seasoning and adjust salt, pepper, cumin and lime to your taste. Serve with basmati rice and fry bread, and top with your choice of sliced avocado, thinly sliced jalapeno, more chopped tomato, toasted pumpkin seeds, more lime juice, and/or chopped cilantro.
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PhotoCredit: Jon Bennion
Image 1 Caption: green chile dal
Image 2 Caption: Logo
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