Shared this the other day on FB and figured I may as well share it here.
Simple 1 pot dhall v1
Dhall is a tasty and versatile dish that can be cooked in a variety of ways. I’ve chosen this method as it’s a single pot method and only requires the one burner/stove. The other (Tadka/Tarka) method is to rinse and boil the lentils and cook it with the turmeric separately, removing the grey-white scum half way through, and then cook up the onion and spices in a separate pan and bring them together at them in at the end.
Fair warning, I like my dhall garlicy and hot, though I did omit the Naga I’d usually add in
Feel free to taper down the garlic and chillies, but a little is recommended for added depth. You could substitute it for a half a teaspoon of paprika if you really don’t like the chillis which would bring back a bit of the layers.
Ingredients (Serves about 4)
2 large cups red split lentils/channa dhal/tarka dhal/chickpeas whichever takes your fancy, I really like yellow split peas
1 Large onion diced
3 tsp cumin (jeera) seeds
2 tsp garam masala
3 teaspoons turmeric
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
6 garlic cloves grated
large bit of ginger grated
2 or 3 green chilies sliced length ways*
1 whole dried chilli*
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
A handful of fresh coriander chopped*
Ghee/oil/butter for frying – Ghee/butter will make it creamier
*Stuff is optional, but does go a long way for flavour.
Instructions
Soak the lentil in hot water for 15 minutes and then rinse with cold water til the water runs clearish.
Take a saucepan and add the ghee/butter/oil, once it’s hot, add in the onions and cook til soft on a medium heat
Add in the garlic, ginger and cumin seeds, once they start to pop add in the rest of the dry spices and give it a stir for a couple of minutes to coat everything without burning
Drain and pour in the lentils, the tomatoes, the chillies and using the tomato tins a couple of tins of water and give it a good mix.
Cover and leave on a low medium heat for 20 minutes to simmer.
Add the coriander, salt and pepper, stir and cover for a further 10 minutes.
If you want it to softer, you may cook for longer. I quite often chuck everything in the slow cooker for 8 hours to really make it combine.
Serve with rice, naan, toast or anything really as a main or side as it’s super versatile.
To really level up you can add a cinnamon stick, and experiment with adding kaffir leaf or shatkora limes during cooking process, and a dash of lime before serving for a real citrus bite.
