Dhal
A good dhal is a thing of beauty and comfort. Cheap, nutritious and simple to make, it appears as a side to most meals, though really a bowl of rice and dhal on its own is enough to warm the heart and fill the belly. You can add a temper at the end to fancy it up a bit, or make it wetter or drier to suit your purposes. This dhal is based on the recipe my mum taught me. Creamy, mild and very savoury, this is exactly the way we cook it at Lankan Filling Station.
Ingredients 20
75 g coconut oil
5 g curry leaves
550 g brown onion, cut into medium dice
18 g garlic, finely chopped
15 g ginger, finely chopped
salt flakes
black pepper, freshly ground
7 g black mustard seeds
5 g turmeric powder
1 cinnamon quill
4 pieces pandan leaf, each 5 cm (2 in) long, see my tips below
5 cm lemongrass, bottom, of 1 stem, lightly bruised
525 g red lentils, thoroughly washed
450 ml coconut cream
1 l water
Temper Optional
3 g chilli powder
20 g ghee
4 g curry leaves
60 g eschalot, finely sliced
3 g black curry powder, see my recipe
2 g cardamom seeds
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Method 7
Melt the in a medium saucepan over a medium heat, add the and cook, stirring, for a minute or so until the leaves are fried.
Add the , and and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6–7 minutes until the onion has softened. Lightly season with salt flakes and black pepper.
Add the , , and and cook, stirring, for 1–2 minutes until the turmeric begins to catch on the bottom of the pan.
Add the , , and and give everything a good stir to combine.
Pour in the and and mix well, then reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, make the temper. Melt the in a medium frying pan over a medium–high heat, add the and cook, stirring, for a minute or so until the leaves are fried. Add the and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4–5 minutes until they start to caramelise. Add the and and and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes. Set aside.
The dhal is ready when all the lentils have just given away and turned yellow, while still retaining a little texture. Re-season with salt flakes, black pepper and the temper, if using, and serve hot.
O Tama Carey's tips
Native to southeast Asia, pandan's long aromatic leaves are a dark to light green, and the flavour is subtly sweet with hints of vanilla. In Sri Lanka dried pandan is usually added to curry powders, and the fresh leaves are cut into pieces and cooked with rice or in curries. It is there to infuse flavour, not to eat. Feel free to fish them out before you serve (or not).
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Notes
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