Daal recipe?

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I loooooooooove daal.

I have adapted the tarka daal and made what I lovingly call 'green daal' which is awesome with fish or chicken or curries. Huge source of iron thanks to the spinach and fragrant with coriander/cilantro, chilli and ginger.

250g/9oz chana dal (yellow split peas) or red lentils, rinsed until the water runs clear

1 litre/1¾ pints water

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 small onion, chopped

3-4 whole green chillies, pricked with a knife

2cm/¾in piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin strips

3 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole

3 tomatoes

¾ tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp garam masala

1½ tsp ground coriander

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Bunch chopped fresh coriander/cilantro leaves

1 bunch fresh green spinach or frozen will do

Shredded green onions, chopped fresh green chilli and toasted coconut to garnish

Juice of 1/2 a lime.




Preparation method

1.Place the lentils and 900ml/1¾ pints of the water into a pan, stir well and bring to the boil. Skim off any froth that forms on the surface of the water with a spoon. Cover the pan with a lid and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer, stirring regularly, for 35-40 minutes, or until the lentils are just tender, adding more water as necessary.


2.When the lentils have cooked through, remove the pan from the heat and use a whisk to break down the lentils. Set the mixture aside to thicken and cool.

3.Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and fry for 20-30 seconds, or until fragrant.

4.Add the onion, chillies and ginger and fry for 4-5 minutes, or until golden-brown.

5.Blend the garlic and tomatoes to a purée in a food processor. Add the purée to the pan and stir well to combine.

6.Add the ground spices and 100ml/3½fl oz of water to the pan and stir well to combine. Season, to taste, with salt and simmer over a medium heat for 15-20 minutes, or until the oil from the sauce has risen to the surface of the sauce.

7. In a seperate pan wilt the spinach. Add this to a blender/food processor and blend with the fresh coriander/cilantro. Squeeze lime juice into it.

8.Add the cooked lentils to the sauce and stir well, adding more water as necessary to loosen the mixture. Stir through the 'green' mixture. Bring the mixture to the boil and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Garnish with chopped chilli, toasted coconut and green onions.

Serve with a big *kitten* chappati.

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You only need the 2 spices - trust me, I'm Indian, grew up eating this every day. Daal is not complicated.