Dahl where have you been all my life?

[multipoodles]

I love you dahl!!! Made my first ever lentil dahl today, did it in the slow cooker, I used a fat free vegan recipe and wasn't expecting anything great but WOW I loved it!! Now how can something so easy to make and delicious escape my radar?

I so agree! I also make a thick dahl and then make it into patties and freeze it. Delicious baked with salad, jacket potatoes, sweet potato wedges, wraps...

multipoodles I made it for the first time today too! It was v fine. In fact I made it last night and reheated it after work this evening. I was very cautious with the spices and will be much braver next time.

Oh I am going to reheat some for lunch tomorrow and I am expecting great things, as food usually tastes nicer when reheated. I love the idea of the thick dahl, this wasn't as thick as that so maybe thick ones will be my next challenge.

Ooh, sounds lovely - especially the slow cooker part. Anyone got a good recipe?

OOhh, a slow cooker dahl recipe would be great - i think my family would like hat but i'm not sure where to start really...

I'm a newbie to this so may not be posting the best recipe but this was what I used in my slow cooker, dahl goddesses will have much better ones. I used this because it was fat free and vegan.

Lentil Dal

1 med chopped onion
1 tbs. minced ginger
1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp minced garlic
2 c. chopped cauliflower florets
2 c. chopped tomato
2 c. water
1 c. dried lentils

Add all ingredients to small slow cooker, cook on high for 4hrs, reduce to low, add anther cup of water and cook for a further 4hrs, or I image 6 at high would be the same.

1 tbsp mango chutney stirred in at the end of cooking.

googietheegg - that sounds like a great idea, please elaborate! Do they turn out like kinda Indian-stylee falafel?? Do you use lentils or split peas?

cs thanks for asking! Yes, they're delicious! Last weekend I made a huge batch of 24 last week and open froze them then put them into bags. They only take about 25 mins to cook from frozen and you know you're having something healthy.

I use two tins each of kidney beans, chick peas, cooked lentils, cooked carrots and peas. First, I fry chopped onions and garlic in oil (can add Ginger and chilli too), then add cumin, black pepper, turmeric, coriander and a crumbled stock veg/chicken cube. Add all the tins, add a cup of water and cook it all for about 10 minutes. Mash it about a bit. When it's thick (have lid off) let it cool. Then have a bowl with brown flour, make patties, dip in flour and put on a baking tray. Open freeze then put in bags when frozen.

Delicious on top of salad with a mint yoghurt dressing, instead of a beefburger with onions, cheese etc in a bun, on a big bowl of dressed spinach...anything you like really.

googie they sound amazing! Is that red or green lentils?

I think either would work, but I just buy the tins of cooked lentils (v popular here in France) which I'm pretty sure are the green ones. The carrots and peas also come together in one tin here, so there's probably an English equivalent - it just adds a bit more veg and a bit of sweetness. You could do everything from fresh/dried and do the soaking etc which would be cheaper, but they're all pretty cheap ingredients anyway and it saves loads of time using tins.

I forgot to say that you can fry or bake them from frozen, obv baking healthier. It also means that you don't have any smelly cooking to do for a mid-week supper, and I am practically phobic about cooking smells if I'm all dressed up nicely!!

Oooh all this sounds lovely. Keep meaning to do more with lentils, so this has inspired me! Thanks.

Googie - where are you in France? We live in the northern dordogne.

Cheers,

Liz

I made my first dahl yesterday evening and it was so simple and utterly divine, so much so DD (19mo) kept wanting more, DH didn't speak until he had finished it and we reheated it as patties today for tea - brilliant! And so cheap!

I've also just started making dahl and am loving it! So quick and easy, and with a 10 month old great healthy food for him too.

Yesterday I added some raisins to it, which makes it lovely and sweet, and also often add tinned chick peas to vary it/bulk it out a little.

We also often have a blob of sweet chilli sauce on the side...mmm!

Made the patties last night - Googie they were divine! DH winced when he heard what the constituents were (they were on a plate floured and ready for cooking by the time he came home) thinking they were beef. But he came back for seconds.
Think I will separate some out next time before spicing and use for weaning

china sooo pleased you like them! Sound so unglamorous I know, but always a big hit!!

Dahl is brilliant, quick, easy, cheap, and loads of variations.
I made this one a couple of weeks back.
spinach, coconut and lentil dahl
The flatbreads are great too.

China my DD always liked the most flavourful spicy foods, much more so than me! DD is now 19mo but she eats a staggering variety of food and flavours, houmous, avocado, curries, dahls, sushi, fish (although I don't give her skate or any seafood other than prawns yet) and will often turn her nose up at an omelette until I add some extra colour and flavour!

I think it's because she attended a vegetarian nursery from when she started weaning and probably got exposed to different food than if it had just been me weaning her in our at the time carnivorous household :)

Just found this thread, I adore dahl, don't know why it never occurred to me to use the slow cooker, absolute genius! Guess what we're going to be eating a lot more of?

I love dahl too and often take it to work for lunch - but it usually needs more water adding when re-heating or ends up a bit gloupy. Never tried in the slow-cooker though which is a great idea.

what do you serve with dahl?

I made a gorgeous dahl recently and may make some tonight now that this thread has reminded me about it. Mine was extra spicy and had creamed coconut in it. We had it with a simple pilau rice and a minty onion and cucumber salad.

I am trying to lose weight, is this something I could eat? It sounds lovely and I have a slow cooker and would love to use it.

Mamalou, just plain boiled rice is nice with dahl. I like the recipe from Riverford even without the cauliflower. Very more-ish.

You are worth it - deffo something to eat when dieting, although coconut cream maybe not the best addition!

I make a really simple 'pilau' - I've got a microwave rice cooker so I bung the rice in with some turmeric, s&p, cumin seeds and chilli flakes (I sometimes add dessicated coconut, or coconut milk at this stage too) pour over boiling water, cook for about six mins then add a handful of frozen peas and cook for another five mins or so.

Thank you. I will give it a go.