I love Indian food. My favourite place to eat Indian food is my friend Kavita's home. The next favourite is Asha's Restaurant in Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi. But I digress. Here is a recipe inspired very heavily by Nisha from www.rainbowplantlife.com. If you vegan and/or like Indian cuisine, check her out. She's got some goooood stuff.
This meal is high in iron, folate, magnesium and not a bad protein source either. Check the nutritional value below.
Another simple food. It's ready in about 40 minutes from scratch and it's best the next day, if you can wait that long. I can't.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp of coconut oil or ghee
1 large onion, chopped
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger, or more
3-4 large cloves of garlic, grated
1 tsp coriander (seed) powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
200g red lentils, rinsed
3 tsp of curry powder
3 large ripe tomatoes in season, cubed or 1 can of tomatoes (can be cubed, pulp or whole)
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 cups of broth (any) or water, depending on the consistency you like
1 can of coconut milk
fresh coriander to garnish
Method:
Heat your pan with the oil or ghee. Add the chopped onions and sauté them for a minute or two. Add the garlic and ginger and the cumin and coriander powder. Cook them together. I add a bit of salt at this stage to allow the onions to release some moisture and not burn the spices. You can add a tablespoon of water if you think it's too dry.
After you smell spices, add the tomatoes. I absolutely love to add fresh tomatoes, but it works perfectly well with canned. If you are using whole canned tomatoes, just crush them between your fingers as you are adding them or chop them (this is more messy for me). Rinse the can with a bit of water. Add (more) salt and pepper.
Add in the lentils and a cup or two of the broth. I use bone broth but you can use vegetable broth or plain water. Add the curry powder and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the lentis are cooked.
Add in the canned coconut, stir well and season. Adjust the consistency wit more liquid if you need.
As usual, serve it with a lot - and I mean a LOT - of fresh chopped coriander. Enjoy. Yum.
P.S. It's not really a dhal. It's more of a főzelék, if you know what I mean, because it has no real heat to it. But by all means, be my guest and add some fresh chilis to it.