Tarka Dhal
Tarka Dhal is a simple,easy, healthy and affordable dish to make at home. The lentils are high in fiber and protein and contain little fat. Not only will this dish fill you, but it will keep you full for longer and it’s easy to digest and good for metabolism. In India, this is one of the first foods babies eat when they start solids.
The spices used are onions, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, garam masala and turmeric – many of them are known to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties along with many other health benefits. The presence of antioxidants helps us fight cancer, diabetes and lifestyle-related illnesses.
Turmeric, for example, is known as the beauty spice. It heals the skin and the hair from the inside.
- 1 kg red lentils
- 3 tsp turmeric
- 5 knobs unsalted butter
- 3 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 tsp small onion finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic finely sliced
- 5 fresh green chillies finely sliced (remove seeds if you want to keep the heat down)
Optional
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- fresh ginger thumb-sized piece of (- finely grated)
- 7 tomatoes chopped small
-
Place the lentils in a pot and cover with enough cold water to come to around 3 cm above their surface. Bring to the boil (skim off any scum that rises to the top), and reduce to a simmer. Stir in the turmeric and a generous knob of butter. Cover and leave to cook gently.
-
In a small frying pan, fry the cumin seeds over a medium heat until toasted and fragrant . Remove from the pan and set to one side.
- Melt a second knob of butter in the same frying pan and gently fry the chopped garlic, onion, chillies and the grated ginger and tomatoes, if you’re using them. Once the garlic is golden, mix in the toasted cumin seeds and, if using, the garam masala and ground coriander. Remove from the heat until the lentils are completely softened.
-
Give the lentils a good stir. They should have the consistency of porridge – thicker than soup and looser than hummus. Add more water as necessary , and mix in your spice mixture.
- Season to taste, then serve on its own, topped with coriander, or with a side of basmati rice and greens.
I like cooking this recipe as a batch, therefore you find as serving size here 10.
Adjust if you cook for less or join me in making a big batch and then freeze parts of it for a later dinner.
