Dhal Lentil Puree Food

DHAL

Steps:

• Wash lentils and pick out all the brown bits (as otherwise this will color the dahl a brown color).
• Wash; place in a medium saucepan and cover with water 3-4 inches above lentils. Simmer for 45 minutes (lentils should be very soft when cooked), skimming the foam off the top of the water occasionally. Top up with extra water, if necessary.
• Strain lentils, retaining the liquid. Blend lentils with some of the liquid in blender until smooth. Add more water if necessary--blend should be like a thick paste. Put to one side.
• Place oil in medium saucepan. Add the mustard seeds and cook stirring until the seeds start to pop. Immediately add the onions and garlic. Cook, stirring until onions are soft. Add all the spices; stir and cook for another minute or two. Add the pureed lentils and stir well until fully mixed.
• This freezes extremely well. Serve with curry and rice as an accompaniment.

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.

EASY RED LENTIL DAHL

Steps:

• Rinse the lentils carefully under running water.
• Place all of the dahl ingredients including the lentils in a large saucepan.
• Bring the pot to a boil on a medium-high heat, then turn it down to a simmer. Stir occasionally to prevent anything sticking on the bottom. Taste and season as you go.
• Cook for 15-20 minutes, until the lentils are soft and the dhal has thickened. Taste and season again before serving. Add more water if you want a thinner dhal.
• Meanwhile if you're adding the shallots as an optional topping, fry them in a frying pan with the butter, ghee or oil. Cook on a medium low heat stirring occasionally, until golden brown, around 10 minutes.
• Serve the dahl. Optionally top with the golden shallots, thin sliced jalapeno and fresh cilantro/coriander.

RED LENTIL PUREE

Steps:

• Bring water, lentils and thyme to boil.
• Reduce heat to low and cook for 10-15 minutes until lentils are soft and water is absorbed (for cooking time: refer also to package directions).
• Remove Thyme Sprigs and mash Lentils.
• Add salt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and pepper to taste. Mix well.
• Serve warm or cold. Decorate with black olives, capers, cherry tomatoes and onion rings.
• NOTE: Mirj suggested to add some lemon zest to the lentil puree. Thank you Mirj, I think this is a great idea to support a fresh note.

SIMPLE LENTIL DAL (DAHL)

Steps:

• Heat the oil with the cinnamon stick in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until the cinnamon unfurls, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the cumin, cloves and cardamom and cook, stirring, until the cumin turns a golden brown color, about 1 more minute. Add the lentils, turmeric, water and salt. Bring to a boil and skim well. Turn down the heat and simmer, covered, until the lentils are soft, 20-30 minutes. Add more water during cooking if necessary. Taste for salt and add more if you need to.
• Ladle about 1/2 cup of the lentils into a small bowl and mash them with a spoon (optional). Return the mashed lentils to the pot and give the dal a stir. Continue cooking at a simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes to thicken. If you like a thicker dal, use a whisk to break up the lentils into a puree. If you like a thinner dal, add water. Remove the cinnamon stick (and cardamom pods, if you like).
• For the tempering oil, heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it just begins to brown around the edges, 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic paste, ginger and minced chile and cook just to mellow the raw taste of the garlic, 10-15 *seconds*.
• Stir half of the tempering oil into the dal along with half of the cilantro and all of the lemon or lime juice. Simmer very gently for 5 minutes. Transfer the dal to a serving bowl, pour the remaining tempering oil over the top and sprinkle with the remaining cilantro. Serve hot with additional lemon or lime juice to taste.

KHATTI DHAL

Steps:

• Soak the toor dhal for about 40 mins, then rinse well. Put it in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan with the turmeric, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and chillies. Add 1.7 litres of water and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down low and cook until you have a thick purée, adding water if it gets too dry. Dhal can be quite soupy or quite thick, depending on how you like it. Simply reduce it to thicken it, or add water to thin it. Season to taste.
• When the dhal is at a thickness you like, add the tamarind, chilli powder (unless it's already hot enough), and the ground coriander and check the seasoning.
• Tempering is the last phase for a dhal. Heat the oil or ghee in a frying pan and add the cumin seeds. Cook over a medium heat for about 30 secs, then add the garlic and cook for about 10 secs (the garlic should eventually become golden but not brown so don't overdo it at this point), then add the dried chillies and the curry leaves, if using. Fry until the dried chillies have changed colour slightly and the curry leaves are crisp. Pour this over the dhal and stir. Cover and leave to sit for a few mins before serving.

RED LENTIL DHAL

Steps:

• Place lentils in a pan with the salt, cover with the water and bring to the boil.
• Remove the froth, reduce the heat and put the lid on the pan - leave to simmer for 10 minutes. Check the lentils are cooked by squeezing them between your fingers. Once soft remove from the heat.
• In a frying pan heat the oil or butter. Using a fork pierce the whole chillies and add to the pan with a bay leaf and the cumin seeds.
• When the seeds sizzle, remove the chilli and set to one side for your garnish.
• Add the onion and garlic and fry until lightly browned. Reduce the heat and add the tomatoes, ginger, turmeric, fenugreek and the chopped chilli. Gently let the ingredients cook down for about 10 minutes to make a thick masala paste.
• Add a ladle full of the lentils (dhal) to the masala paste in the frying pan and stir together, then empty all the contents back into the pan with the lentils and stir. It should have the consistency of a thick soup but if it's too thick just add a little boiling water and remove from the heat. If you prefer it thicker just leave it on the heat to reduce until you get the consistency you want.
• Check the seasoning and add a little salt if required. Stir in the garam masala, coriander and top with the whole chillies to serve.

PUREED INDIAN LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• In a soup pot on medium heat, add lentils, potatoes, bouillon and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
• Add the tomatoes, onions, garlic, curry leaves and spices.
• Simmer gently for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
• Remove from heat and remove curry leaves. Rinse leaves and set aside.
• Blend to desired consistency.
• If using a standalone blender, return pureed soup to pot and warm gently over low heat. If using an immersion blender, feel free to skip this step.
• Ladle soup in bowls and drizzle each serving with yogurt, if using. Garnish with curry leaves.

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.

DHAL - LENTIL PUREE

Steps:

• Wash lentils thoroughly, removing those that float on the surface.
• Drain well.
• Heat ghee or oil and fry onion, garlic and ginger until onion is golden.
• Add turmeric and stir well.
• Add drained lentils and fry for 1-2 minutes.
• Add water, lower heat, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
• Add salt to taste, mix thoroughly and continue cooking until lentils are soft and the consistency is thick, similar to porridge.
• Serve Dhal plain or garnish with sliced onion, fried until golden brown.