In Indian language, dahl is nothing more than peas or a general term for legumes. Dahl can be prepared in many different ways but today I will show you how to make a very simple red lentil dahl.
Red lentils are a very pleasant product that is very easy to cook. It does not need to be soaked in advance and is multifunctional! I very often use it just to thicken soups and sauces (red lentil chilli is great!). Today’s dahl is a very simple dish that does not require too much time. In 30 minutes you can prepare a dish for the whole family effortlessly!
By default, lentil dahl is not served as a main course, but as a so-called side dish, served on the table with a few other dishes, e.g. rice, naan bread, Indian carrot salad, etc.
COCONUT MILK – there are two types of coconut milk, one low-fat, thinner and the other is called coconut cream. It has more fat and makes the dishes much thicker. In this case, the lentils alone will thicken the entire dish during cooking, so you only need to use ordinary canned coconut milk. If you do not like the coconut taste, you can always replace it with vegan cream, but it will give a slightly different aroma.
CURRY – in this recipe I used dried curry spice mix and it is absolutely enough, but the red lentil dahl cooked with curry leaves will be much more authentic. If you can get them fresh (or frozen) that’s fantastic, use about 5-10 leaves to cook your lentils. If you manage to buy dried leaves, the matter is as follows: It is enough to use about 15 dried leaves, but during cooking they fall apart and it is difficult to chew them throughout the dish. Either put them into a closed strainer before cooking (like you do for leaf tea) or crush them very finely. Fresh leaves are easy to pull out of the dish, even while eating.
INGREDIENTS
- 500g of red lentils
- 1 can of coconut milk
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- a piece of ginger
- 3 teaspoons of curry spice
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- chilli flakes to your preference
- ½ lime juice
- fresh coriander
- a glass of water or broth
- rice
- salt pepper
LENTIL DAHL – PREPARATION
- Chop the onion, smash the garlic, and chop the ginger finely. Pan fry the onion, garlic and ginger in a hot frying pan until golden.
- Reduce heat and add curry, cumin, chili, salt and pepper. Fry for 2 minutes together, add the rinsed red lentils, fry for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the coconut milk and cook everything over medium heat until the lentils are soft (about 20 minutes). While cooking, the whole dish should get a little bit of stock or water.
- At the end, sprinkle with lime juice and add fresh coriander. We serve it with rice and your favorite vegetables.
