Bringing a touch of aromatic Indian food to your cuisine this week. Daal is made from lentils which are a great protein rich dish – at least 3x that of rice and 2x that of wheat – so it is a great choice for vegetarians.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 400g mung dal (skinned yellow split mung beans)
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
- 4cm piece of root ginger, peeled and cut into 4 pieces
- 1 tbs turmeric
- 4 small green chillies, 2 finely chopped, 2 left whole
- 2 tbsp ghee or groundnut oil
- 4 shallots, finely sliced
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp crushed chilli
- Fresh coriander, chopped to serve
- Wash the mung dal until the water runs clear, drain and place in a large pan and cover with 2 litres of cold water.
- Bring to the boil and skim off any scum that rises to the surface.
- Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric and chopped chillies to the pan with a pinch of salt.
- Turn down the heat, cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar, and simmer very gently for about 1½ hours, stirring occasionally, until the daal has broken down completely and has a creamy texture.
- Add boiling water as necessary to achieve consistency you prefer.
- Season to taste – I add about 1 tsp salt – then add the whole chillies and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the ghee or oil in a frying pan over a medium high heat and add the shallots. Stir until golden and beginning to crisp.
- Add the dried spices and cook for a couple of minutes until the mustard seeds are beginning to pop and then stir into the daal.
- When ready to serve sprinkle with the chopped coriander.
- Serve with plain boiled or steamed rice or pitta/flatbreads.
Variations:
- Add in cayenne pepper and garam masala to taste
- Add in a couple of chopped tomatoes
- Stir in some frozen spinach through at the last minute before serving.