Lentil dhal, or, How to feed 6 people for about £1!
A while ago a friend, woodjuice, mentioned making lentil dhal in passing on her journal and my ears (eyes?) pricked up. I love lentil dhal, I always order it from the takeaway yet for some stupid reason until this point it had never occurred to me to make my own. Duh! I discovered that not only is it crazily cheap and tasty, it freezes well, reheats well, is incredibly straightforward to make, and I'm pretty damn sure a lot healthier than the one I used to order all the time! It's full of protein, it's low in fat, it's just all-round good food. Also, it's one of those things that just happens to be vegan, almost sneakily so, so I can serve it to omnivores without it being a 'vegan' meal, it's just a really tasty meal.
I made it for some people coming over, and it worked beautifully, and with some basmati rice cost around £1, £2 when you add in a pile of poppadoms!
Six little bowls of it as I dish it out.
Look, a garnish, see, this is fancy food!
This is my version, based on woodjuice's.
Lentil dhal (for two):
1 onion, finely chopped
2cloves garlic, finely chopped or pureed
6oz red lentils, rinsed
1pint water
1tsp turmeric
1pinch cumin
2pinch ground coriander
2tsp garam masala
1tsp sugar
1tblsp tomato puree
chili to taste (2 small dried/1 fresh/some cayenne pepper/whatever you have)
2tblsp fresh coriander(cilantro), optional but delicious. I keep some chopped in the freezer, so I guess it's not strictly fresh but close enough!
Fry the onion and garlic in a saucepan.
Add everything else.
Boil for 10 minutes, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for another 30.
(Be aware that at this point it may erupt like lava and splash everywhere. I recommend wearing an apron, and using a deep pan!)
Stir in coriander(cilantro) and add a little salt if needed. Oh, and garnish with more fresh coriander(cilantro) if you're trying to impress. If just for you, garnish with a spoon!
Serve, eat and love :D.
I made it for some people coming over, and it worked beautifully, and with some basmati rice cost around £1, £2 when you add in a pile of poppadoms!
Six little bowls of it as I dish it out.
Look, a garnish, see, this is fancy food!
This is my version, based on woodjuice's.
Lentil dhal (for two):
1 onion, finely chopped
2cloves garlic, finely chopped or pureed
6oz red lentils, rinsed
1pint water
1tsp turmeric
1pinch cumin
2pinch ground coriander
2tsp garam masala
1tsp sugar
1tblsp tomato puree
chili to taste (2 small dried/1 fresh/some cayenne pepper/whatever you have)
2tblsp fresh coriander(cilantro), optional but delicious. I keep some chopped in the freezer, so I guess it's not strictly fresh but close enough!
Fry the onion and garlic in a saucepan.
Add everything else.
Boil for 10 minutes, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for another 30.
(Be aware that at this point it may erupt like lava and splash everywhere. I recommend wearing an apron, and using a deep pan!)
Stir in coriander(cilantro) and add a little salt if needed. Oh, and garnish with more fresh coriander(cilantro) if you're trying to impress. If just for you, garnish with a spoon!
Serve, eat and love :D.