Sunshine Dhal

I know. It’s Dhal. I can almost hear you saying – “Do we really need ANOTHER recipe for Dhal? Who eats this stuff anyway!?”

I secretly love Dhal and happily eat it for breakfast. I make a few versions and this one has an especially sunny colour which is visually appealing when presented as part of a complete thali meal but my favourite time to eat it is at breakfast.  Either by itself or teamed with sautéed mushrooms and a slice of grain toast it’s a great way to wake up the taste buds at the start of a new day.

Here’s what you’ll need

500gm of yellow lentils

2 teaspoons of cumin seeds

2 teaspoons of coriander seeds

15 curry leaves

8 cloves

1 stick of cinnamon

1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric

4 chillis, finely chopped

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

2 teaspoons black mustard seeds

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon molasses

Salt

4 tablespoons of chopped coriander

1/2 a lemon, juiced

Here’s how to make it

1. Rinse the lentils and soak them in water while you prepare the other ingredients.
2. In a dry pan over medium toast the cumin seeds until they are fragrant then remove.
3. Follow the same process with the coriander seeds and then bash both up in a mortar and pestle until they are almost a fine powder.
4. Measure curry leaves, cloves, cinnamon, turmeric and add them to the small bowl along with finely chopped chillis.
5. Drain the lentils and add to a large pot with 1 litre of water.
6. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 40 minutes. Stir two or three times and skim off any scum that rises to the surface.  By the end of the 40 minutes the lentils should be soft and the pot should still have a little liquid. If you think it’s too dry add a little water.
7. Keep your lentils simmering whilst you heat a fry pan. Add the oil and mustard seeds and stir until they begin to pop and crack.
8. Add the curry leaves, cloves, cinnamon, turmeric, ground coriander, cumin and finely chopped chillis. Stir for two minutes until fragrant.
9. Add tomatoes and mix well, squashing them a little to break them down.
10. After three minutes add the molasses and mix.
11. Tip the tomato mixture in to the lentils and add a big pinch of salt to your liking.
12. Cook for a further 5 minutes.
13. Add the corriander and lemon juice, stir one last time and serve.

Handy hints and notes:

You will get 8-10 thali or breakfast accompaniment serves from this recipe.  Matched with the Kangaroo Kheema Matar, Vegetable Masala and perhaps a little rice or chapati you will have a filling and varied meal.

Dhal freezes and reheats very well so consider making a double quantity.

The chillis you use are entirely up to you but I prefer something milder for dhal because it is a little gentler on the stomach at breakfast time.