Brown Lentil Dahl Food

DAL (INDIAN LENTIL CURRY)

Steps:

• Soak Lentils: Rinse lentils and leave to soak in plenty of water for 1 hour. Drain in colander.
• Heat ghee/oil in a heavy based saucepan over high heat. Add green chillies and fry for a minute until starting to blister.
• Add onions and fry until softened.
• Lower heat to medium, add garlic, ginger and curry leaves. Cook for 1 minute until garlic starts to turn golden and smells amazing.
• Add tomatoes and cumin, cook until tomatoes start to break down and thicken to a paste - about 2 minutes.
• Add lentils, water, tumeric and salt. Stir, bring to simmer, cover and simmer gently for 1 hour. Stir two or three times during the hour.
• Remove lid and simmer gently for 30 minutes to thicken, stirring every now and then. The dal is ready when it has a consistency like porridge - some lentils should be intact but some have broken down to thicken the sauce.
• Stir through garam masala at the end. Adjust salt if desired.
• Pour over Tadka, if using, and stir through.
• Serve Dal over rice, garnished with a sprig of coriander if desired.

ONE-PAN COCONUT DHAL

Steps:

• Rinse the lentils until the water runs clear, then drain. Heat the oil in a large, shallow pan and cook the onions over a low heat for 10 mins until starting to brown, adding more oil if the pan looks dry. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook for another 30 seconds. Scatter in the curry leaves, if using, and all the spices and cook for a few minutes more, then stir in the tomato purée and cook for a minute longer.
• Stir in the lentils, ensuring they're well coated in the spices, then pour over the coconut milk and 850ml water. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally, then simmer for about 30 mins until the lentils are soft and soupy. Scoop out the whole chilli and discard, then season generously with salt. The dhal can now be left to cool, then frozen in portions, or as one batch in a large plastic container. Defrost completely before reheating in a pan over a low heat, adding more water to loosen if needed.
• Serve with a sprinkling of the coriander, sliced ginger and chilli, and drizzle with a bit more oil.