Dhal days - how do you make dhal?

[unlikelychump]

It is boxing day today in our house. I decided to make a dhal for the first time ever. I slightly busked the recipe, it was delicious.

It is my new thing. How do you make yours?

Fry onion, add mustard seeds and maybe cumin seeds, cover pan until it stops popping, add a mix of any other veg you want, stir in tumeric, garam masala, chilli powder... whatever spices you want, then add lentils and stir unti translucent. Add a blob of tom paste ( I think from memory) and then coconut milk. Simmer on low heat until it cooks down.

Love it. Honestly my favourite meal. Add some crushed peanuts on top as it is supposed to make it more nutritious.

I used to just make the traditional Chana dhal. Now I often make a dhal based dish with sweet potatoes or very finely chopped carrots added. Eat so much of it I use it as a base for a vege dish.

Probably want a liberal amount of salt too

I tried to link a Guardian recipe for Dal which I've had bookmarked for years it didn't work!
But I could live off dal because there are so many variations 😍

Ethiopian dal in an Instant Pot
https://www.cookwithmanali.com/instant-pot-ethiopian-lentil-stew

I do various Indian dals also, but this one allows for dog walks.

I make the Gymkhana dhal that was published in the Times a few years ago, but it's behind a paywall. However, the recipe looks similar to the one @Hskatkat tried to link to, but I use red lentils and a bit less water than the recipe says (you can always add in extra if you want it thinner). I also sometimes add grated courgette.

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/jun/02/how-to-cook-perfect-dal

Boil red lentils with turmeric and salt, in a separate pan fry nigella seeds, ginger, garlic, tomato puree, dried and fresh coriander. Stir it into the cooked lentils, top with more fresh coriander and eat with all the pickles. We have this most weeks, super easy and delicious.

From all these suggestions, the Guardian is closest to authentic dhal.

I highly recommend this book for a range of dal recipes:

www.waterstones.com/book/the-dal-cookbook/krishna-dutta//9781909166059?gQT=2

We make lots of these Recipes on repeat.
Thank you @Bjorkdidit I couldn't get the link to work!

I knew this would be a,great thing to post about!

Either way. The dahl cooked separate and a fry of spices adding at the end. https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/tarkadal_90055

Or the all in one pot way.

I used to eat a lot of different dahl dishes when I was on the dole.

Meera sodha daily dal is excellent...

An old housemate of mine lived on dal & jacket potatoes/rice (20 odd years ago) it was great she would share with whoever was home, (there was a lot of us) some days she would fry the day befores left over jacket potatoes and top with Dal! Happy memories

The Happy Pear do a particularly lovely dahl, easy to make and delicious.

This is my family’s favourite meal. The black dal is delicious. We often have it with tandoori chicken on top.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UU4wGbWAcn8

lebanese lentil soup is another good one for dhal fans.

I was given a recipe by a Sri Lankan chef in Sri Lanka in 2007. I was sceptical, but it does taste the same as I had in Sri Lanka, in the same way that my boeuf bourguignon tastes the same as the one served at a restaurant in Burgundy.
Top tip from Chef Christian, do NOT add salt until the end of the cooking time.

Wash red lentils - thoroughly. Soak for ten mins or so and rinse again.

Boil water add red lentils, salt, tumeric. Let the lentils cook in another pan make the 'masala'

Cumin, add onion and cook the onion really well, then add garlic and ginger, cook, then add blended half tin of toms, if you have dried fenugreek then crush some of that into it. Cook until you see the fat separating from the toms.

Add it all to rhe lentils, stir, add garam masala. Let the who lot mingle, then switch off and let it sit for about 10-15 mins before sprinkling with fresh coriander and eating!

boil red lentils
add garlic onion tumeric salt cumin seeds
add quick fried garlic
serve

sometimes i do an aubergine dhal, so roast aubergine, red pepper and halloumi in the mix
along with ginger, garum masala, fresh coriander

My friend told me to add a knob of butter towards the end - makes it beautifully glossy and rich.

I also usually add frozen spinach and stir through. I try yo batch cook it and freeze fir easy lunches and suppers but once made we have a hard job resisting and it all gets eaten!

The Prashad cookbook has the best daal recipes. Just delicious. Useful to have a spice tray for them though.

I don’t think of dhal as a meal, it’s a side dish. But I don’t think cauliflower cheese is a meal either, so I’m probably just out of step.

Chana masala and dhal, matar paneer and dhal… perfect meals. Dhal on its own doesn’t have enough texture to feel like a proper dinner.

(That said, the Dishoom black dhal is so rich it’s hard to each much of it but so delicious you really really want to.)

I like it best made with yellow split peas. And the exact recipe depends on what I have in the larder and fridge.

I buy all my wholefoods from Hodmedods, often in bulk, and they have an infinite number of recipies.