Dahl

Dahl is a staple dish in our home. Most days, I will have a pot full of it on the stove, available for anyone in the family to have a ladle full to plug the gap between meal times. Often the children will have a bowl when they come home from school, which is especially welcoming on winter days. It fills our house with the cosy, appetising smell of spices and nourishes the children with all the health benefits of protein and iron packed lentils. To me, dahl is wholesome, comforting and nurturing, and symbolises the warmth of our family home.

Thankfully, this delicious dish is also really cheap to create. It's a good one to teach the children how to make, so that when they go off to university you can feel assured that they know how to make at least one super healthy, inexpensive meal!

I'll often serve it as a side dish to my potato and pea curry (recipe here), but sometimes, if I'm pushed for time, I'll simply serve it as a meal in itself, along with some brown basmati rice.

Sometimes I'll fry the onion, garlic and ginger in vegetable oil initially, then gradually add the rest of the veg before throwing in the spices and lentils. The oil does bring an extra depth of flavour, but my recipe here is oil free, to make the meal quick and easy, and it's still delicious. It's also virtually fat free, which is another huge bonus!

Essentially, this is a one pot recipe. The biggest hassle is washing the lentils and chopping the veggies, but the rest takes care of itself!

Simple put the following ingredients into a large pot:

1kg red lentils (thoroughly washed until the water runs clear)*

1 bulb of garlic, minced

A one inch chunk of ginger, minced

4 large carrots, diced

2 Celery sticks, diced

1 medium sized eggplant, finely diced

1 large brown onion, diced

3 large tomatoes, diced

(1 large chilli, finely diced, if you want extra spice. I don't do this when I'm making it for the family)

Then add the spices:

½ tsp cumin powder

½ tsp cinnamon powder

½ tsp coriander powder

2 heaped tsp curry powder

1 heaped tsp masala powder

1 tbsp turmeric powder

2 tsp sea salt

Next:

Add 2.5l of boiling water. Stir, cover and bring to the boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add more salt to taste and garnish with fresh coriander if you want it to look especially inviting!

This recipe makes a lot. You can get at least 8 generous bowl fulls out of it.

Often I'll add small cubes of sweet potato and/or potato, for an extra hearty meal.

*Sometimes, I'll use 500g of red lentils and 500g of mung beans, for extra goodness and flavour. The mung beans need to be soaked overnight and washed thoroughly before use.