Goodness in a bowl: red lentil Dhal
Substack #9
Slowly coming to the realisation that holidays will never be the same now we have a toddler, more so now that I work for a start-up and therefore work is never off. On top of that, ski holidays are particularly tiring in general. So after 10 days away from home, cooking for a shoot in France, working/ looking after Woody/ skiing in Austria and back to France for my grandmother’s 100th birthday I was more than ready to get home to Lisbon. I had a great time away and am very grateful to be able to do those things however I was looking forward to getting back to the comfort of home routine.
When we finally got home on Sunday night, after drinking copious amounts of red wine and eating never ending cheese platters, I was exhausted and craving for something comforting and healthy.
We considered ordering in, but what I needed more than the food itself was the grounding that I get from cooking. The simple process of making something after a long trip gave me much needed time to de-stress. Cooking restores me.
I needed a big hug, so I decided to cook lentil dhal. Warming, comforting, creamy and super cheap, it ticked all my boxes. Lentil dhal also holds a special place in my heart. It brings back memories of working at Cafe Pimpin in Paris. During the winter months, it made an appearance on the menu once a week, customers always loved it.
It also takes me straight back to our time spent Sri Lanka, we ate dhal everyday, so did Woody and we never got bored of it. The beauty of dhal is that there are so many variants to it and although I use the same ingredients most of the time, it always comes out slightly different.
Say hello to goodness in a bowl - an all time family favourite.
Goodness in a bowl: red lentil Dhal
Makes: 4 adult servings
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
Red Lentil Dhal
2 tablespoons of coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
2 red onions finely chopped
½ thumb size ginger (finely chopped or grated)
2 garlic cloves (finely chopped or grated)
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons tomato paste
200g dried split red lentils, washed
1 x 400ml tin coconut milk
500ml vegetable stock
1 /2 lemon
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat the coconut oil in a deep saucepan and fry the onions over a medium heat with a pinch of salt for 5 minutes, stirring regularly until they start to soften.
Add ginger and garlic and cook, stirring often, just to take the edge off garlic, about 30 seconds.
Add the cumin, and mustard seeds and when the mustard seeds start to pop, stir in the ground turmeric and coriander. Add the tomato paste and mixing for a few minutes.
Quickly add the lentils, coconut milk and stock to the pan. Bring the dhal to the boil, then turn the heat down to a gentle simmer. Cook for 20-25 minutes until the lentils have softened and are cooked through. Squeeze in half a lemon and season with salt.
Cover with a lid and keep dal warm over low heat while you make the toppings.
Make Ahead: Dhal can be made 2 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill.
Depending on what’s lying around your fridge, the following veggies also work:
Two big hanfduls of washed baby spinach and/ or roughly chopped tomatoes, added towards the end of the cooking.
In Autumn or Winter, grated squash added for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
Aubergine or courgette, chopped in cubes, added after cooking the onions.
And then come the toppings. Dhal is delicious and comforting, but it’s not known for being exciting. But with a few toppings, it can be souped up into something sexy.
But where do you start? There are a handful of categories that you can pull from: crunchy, creamy, rich, or fresh and herby—or all four.
A good handful of coriander
A bit of heat for the grown ups, one finely chopped green/ red chilli (deseeded)
Yoghurt with a pinch of salt is a must. If you’re feeling fancy, you can add some grated cucumber and mint to make it into a raita.
Pickled onions. Finely grate zest from lime into a small bowl. Cut lime in half and squeeze juice into bowl. Add red onion, sugar, and a large pinch of salt and toss, squeezing onion with your hands to help it soften quickly.
Herb and cashew salsa. Roughly chop the cashews and green chilli as well as the whole lemon half, discarding any pips, then add the coriander and chop the lot together with a good pinch of salt to make a rough lemon salsa.
Curry leaves. Melt about a teaspoon of coconut oil in a frying pan and when the surface is shimmering, fry the leaves for about 15 seconds to crisp up.
Spoon the dhal into bowls, with the toppings of your choice, and serve with fluffy rice or warm roti breads. I often have a packet of rotis in the freezer, which come in handy for this occasion. You can find them in most exotic stores.
An easy recipe, with something for everyone. Enjoy x