Red Lentil Dal is my favorite Indian dish. It's a great recipe for beginners - whether you're new to Indian food or to cooking in general. It uses quite a bit of spices, but these same spices are used over and over again in Indian cuisine, so they are well worth the small investment. This recipe is incredibly rich in flavor and like most Indian foods, it only gets more flavorful over time so you'll *love* leftovers. Aside from the initial purchase of spices, this meal is cheap to make, very filling and full of protein!
I like to serve red lentil dal with brown rice and saag.