Red Lentil Dhal

This recipe was last nights dinner and although I cooked some rice and took all the photos, I can’t take credit for it, as it was my husband’s work.

I am a huge fan of lentils, as they are a great source of protein and fibre with comparably low calories. So you will usually see me smuggle them into pasta dishes, bolognese, lasagna or soups at any given opportunity, especially since I work with children. I realised yesterday, that I never had dhal before. I cooked it, while I was working for Planet Organic and served it to customers, but I never had a portion.

For the lentil dhal you will need:

500g Split Red Lentils, 1 large Brown Onion, diced
2 tbsp tomato puree

5 Cloves of Garlic, sliced
2cm piece of ginger, diced.
1 tsp chilli flakes
Vegetable Oil & Butter

Ground Spices
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Salt + Pepper to taste

Whole Spices
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
5 cloves
5 green cardamom pods

Fry the whole spices in a dry pan for a few minutes to release the essential oils and flavours, then remove the cardamom and cloves.
Add the onion, garlic, butter and chillies, then cook until the onions are soft and add the rest of the spices. Stir well.
Add the tomato paste and a little bit of tap water to prevent the mix catching on the pan. If it does catch, don’t panic. Simply take it off the heat, add a bit more water and wait for it to soak for a couple of minutes, then stir and continue.
Cook for 5-10 minutes on low heat until you have a thick paste that you can later combine the lentils with. Cover and set aside.

Rinse the lentils well under running cold water. You’re going to be surprised how much dirt actually hides in dry cooking ingredients such as rice and lentils.
Add the lentils unto a pot of salted boiling water (about 1.5 litres). Normal lentils will take a lot longer to boil in salted water, but red lentils can handle salted water.
Simmer gently for 15-20 mins, then drain the lentils and combine with the sauce. Mix through thoroughly and season to your taste.
Serve immediately – I personally prefer to eat it with rice (hence the star anise), but any bread, especially naan, will go well with it. Or you can eat it like us – inbetween photos straight out of the pan.

If you liked this blog post, you could buy me a coffee.