Lemon, tomato & cardamom dhal

December 17, 2022

   

   

We're always on the lookout for more dhal recipes, and with the weather staying cool almost all the way to Christmas we delved back into Anna Jones' One Pot, Pan, Planet to try this one out. I made a lazy version of this recipe and basically skipped the fancy little topping, instead just sprinkling some roasted cashews on top with the curry leaves. I've reproduced the basic version below, but I'll probably try the proper version next time, incorporating finely chopped cashews, chilli, coriander and lemon on top. Even in easy mode this was an excellent addition to our dhal repertoire - full of flavour and easy to prepare. We made a bigger batch than the measurements below and the leftovers were perfect last-week-of-work lunches.

Lemon, tomato & cardamom dhal 

(adapted from a recipe in Anna Jones' One Pot, Plan, Planet)

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 red onions, finely chopped

1 red chilli, finely chopped

1 green chilli, finely chopped

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 tablespoon black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

200g dried split red lentils

400ml coconut milk

500ml vegetable stock

100g baby spinach

4 tomatoes, roughly chopped

juice of 2 lemons

20 or so curry leaves

oil

salt and pepper, to taste

roasted cashews

Heat the coconut oil in a saucepan and fry the onions with a sprinkle of salt until soft, about 5 minutes or so. Add the chillies and cook for a few more minutes before adding the cumin, coriander and mustard seeds. Once the seeds start to pop, stir in the the turmeric and cardamom - you should have a rich, fragrant spice paste going.

Add the lentils, stock and coconut milk and bring the mix to the boil. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes or so, until the lentils are nice and soft.

Stir through the spinach and chopped tomatoes and the lemon juice, cooking for just a minute or two until the leaves are wilted. Taste and add salt and pepper as required.

Finally, make the crispy curry leaves - heat some oil in a small pan until it's nice and hot and quickly stir fry the leaves for 30 seconds or so until they crisp up. 

Serve the dhal on rice, topped with crispy curry leaves and some roasted cashews.