2011 Cooking Club Week 29: Dahl

Dinkie

It was a bit of a toss up whether to do pea and ham soup, dahl or koftas. Dahl won the vote.

I am not a rice fan and this is not a soupy dahl, its moist but dry enough to be used instead of rice or aloo gobi, etc. I have used it when veggie friends are over for dinner to good reviews also.

The photos look a bit messy, but it really is delicious and really quick and cheap to make.

The recipe is approximate as it depends on how fresh the spices are.

Ingredients:

Serves approx 4

1 cup lentils (red/yellow or mixed)
1 teasp salt
1 teasp cumin
1 teasp poppy seeds
4 peppercorns (or 1/2 - 1 teasp blackpepper)
1 teasp paprika (I use hot paprika)
1 teasp tumeric
2" cinnamon stick (or 1teasp cinnamon)
1 cup coconut
2 chopped brown onions
4 cloves garlic
bunch chopped coriander
(I also add in 1 teasp aestofida - but its not in the official recipe)





Soak the lentils for at least 1 hour

Boil the lentils in salted water until they are soft. This takes anything between 15-30 mins depending on how long the lentils were soaking

Drain the lentils



Chop onions and crush garlic

Fry onion and garlic together

Add spices and fry for approx 1 min.



Add in the cooked lentils and coconut and stir to mix.



Add in the coriander. I usually make this a couple hours before dinner to the spices have time to penetrate and then reheat before serving.



I made some of the butter chicken from last years cookery club to go with it.



Then the next day I added in some tomatoes, courgettes and some more coriander and had it as a salad - it went down really, really well. Its is nearly nicer the next day!

_blank_

Definitely going to give this one a go soon, I presume green lentils would be ok to use?

Dinkie

I assume so, I've never used them but they are all similar.

Asphyxia

Looks tasty I have a good few of the ingredients already so it shouldn't be too hard to get the other bits. I've never tried anything like this so should be fun :D

WesternNight

This looks good! I have most of the ingredients so will give it a go during the week

Brian?

I make Dahl once a week normally. What's the etiquette with replying with an alternative recipe?

The Black Oil

Made this the other day and will make it again. Supermarket had no poppy seeds or coconut, though.

Dinkie

briankeating wrote: »

I make Dahl once a week normally. What's the etiquette with replying with an alternative recipe?

You can either put it up in this thread or start your own on the cooking and recipe forum / random recipe thread.... I don't think there is an etiquette.

The idea is to put up versions on the original (or at least that is what I have done on other threads and noone has given out to me yet and i have done that in this forum).

Mine is possibly not to everyones tastes as its drier then most others so other variations is welcomed by me anyway.

Brian?

Dinkie wrote: »

You can either put it up in this thread or start your own on the cooking and recipe forum / random recipe thread.... I don't think there is an etiquette.

The idea is to put up versions on the original (or at least that is what I have done on other threads and noone has given out to me yet and i have done that in this forum).

I'll write it up later so if that's ok with you?

Mine is possibly not to everyones tastes as its drier then most others so other variations is welcomed by me anyway.

Mine would be just as dry, I know some people like to make so the lentils are actually floating like a soup. Yours looks savage.

I should have been complementary from the start as well, I apologise for that. I am deffo going to try the coconut tomorrow!

Dinkie

briankeating wrote: »

I make Dahl once a week normally. What's the etiquette with replying with an alternative recipe?

briankeating wrote: »

I'll write it up later so if that's ok with you?




Mine would be just as dry, I know some people like to make so the lentils are actually floating like a soup. Yours looks savage.

I should have been complementary from the start as well, I apologise for that. I am deffo going to try the coconut tomorrow!

Feel free to post... I love other variations to try myself.

unkel

Dinkie wrote: »

the next day I added in some tomatoes, courgettes and some more coriander and had it as a salad

The salad looks very appetising

Did you add in the courgettes raw?

nice1franko

I made this yesterday and although I intended keeping close to the recipe I ended up with some heavy modifications so will try again but exercise more self-discipline.

My mods were because 1) the mrs hates coconut and 2) because, even though it was the first time making dahl, I had it lots of times a few years ago in Mauritias where it was very much the soup/curry variety which, as I progressed through the recipe I was hoping more and more to recreate.

Anyway, so I ended up omitting the coconut and adding: a teaspoon of black mustard seeds, seeds of 4 black cardamon pods, 4 whole cracked green cardamon, 1 chopped up tomato, 1.5 tsp chilli powder, pinch of cayenne pepper, about 25g butter and 3 tbl spoons of cream.

Anyway, delighted with it. Cheers, OP.

(will post pics later; left camera at home).

Dinkie

unkel wrote: »

The salad looks very appetising

Did you add in the courgettes raw?

Yep. I love raw courgettes. Have a glut of them in the back garden at the moment.

The Black Oil

Nyom.

Little Alex

Just had this now and it was lovely. Thanks!

Hobbitfeet

Any recipes for dahl but most saucy like you get from an Indian? Like tarka dahl.

Dinkie

Hobbitfeet wrote: »

Any recipes for dahl but most saucy like you get from an Indian? Like tarka dahl.

Yes I do have one that people seem to like. I'm exhausted tonight and too lazy to find the recipe, but will try and find time to put it up tomorrow.

Dinkie

I have two different recipes I use. I'll give both. One is very simple, and the other is slightly (not a lot) more labour intensive.

With both I taste as I go along and often add extra ingredients that aren't in the recipe. Also if the spices you are using are old (or I find Tesco's spices very weak) you may need to increase the quantities.

I should add that I may not have the actual names (e.g. tarka dah) quite right as I scribbled the second one down from an indian friend I used to live with.

The first is adapted from Madjur jaffrey and is really quick. If the dahl you get from the take away is yellow - its probably similar to this.

200g Moong dal (split mong beans or yellow split peas)
1/2 teasp tumeric
3/4 teasp salt
1 tablesp unsalted butter
1/4 teasp asafoetida
1/2 cumin seeds
1 chopped chilli
1 onion
1/2 teasp fresh grated ginger
Coriander (I add this to everything - but its not in the original recipe)

Put mong beans into a pot and add 800ml water. Bring to point. Take off the white scum that forms on top.
Add tumeric.
Simmer for approx 45 mins The mong beans will get quite mushy
Add salt and stir.
Take off heat

Melt butter and when bubbling add spices. Stir and add chillies. Stir and add onions. Cook until onions brown. Add to lentils and stir. I find it best to make a couple hours earlier and then reheat to let everything infuse.

2. Spicy indian dahl recipe

I don't have a pic of this at the moment, but know I have posted it on the butter chicken thread as I made the two at the same time. This is darker in colour - so if the take away dahl you get is darker this is probably the one.

2 onions
2 crushed cloves garlic
1 tablesp fresh ginger
1 tablesp unsalted butter
1 - 1 1/2 teasp chillli powder (to your own heat requirements)
4 1/2 teasp ground coriander
1 teasp tumeric
5 cloves
1" cinamon stick
1 teasp salt
1-2 tomatoes, chopped, skinnless
8oz split red lentils
1/4 - 1/2 cup water
Coriander

Rinse lentils in cold water and put in a deep saucepan.
Add 800mls cold water and bring to boil.
Simmer for 10-20 mins. Keep checking as lentils should not become mushy.
Drain and put to one side when cooked.

Melt butter
Add onions, garlic and ginger and saute until onions are light brown
Add spices and cook for approx 2 mins.
Add dahl, tomatoes and water (if necessary)
Cook over a low heat until gravy has thickened
Taste and season if required.
Add coriander.
Serve.

Again its better if cooked earlier and then reheated to give everything a chance to infuse.

Hobbitfeet

Thank you Dinkie

BaZmO*

Made this last night but added a tin of chopped tomatoes because I felt it was just lacking something when I tasted it. Turned out really nice. Looking forward to having the rest of it tomorrow.

No pics though. I was in a hurry.

Thanks OP

nice1franko

My attempt:

ElleEm

I'm so hungry looking at this thread... definitely gonna make this sometime this week.

Roald Dahl

We had this one tonight. It's really different to the way I've made dahl before, but it's a really good recipe.

Really enjoyed it. Very tasty.

I would say that I needed to add in another half cup of lentils to make enough for two servings. Mayve we're just greedy. :eek:



A while back I found a lovely recipe for indian 'garlic lemon potato wedges' on YouTube and we had these with it.

Nice recipe, Dinkie!