Khatti dhal
Dhal is often a blank canvas, something fairly bland (that is the beauty of dhals – they are so earthy) which you pair with fresh chutneys, but a sweet-sour one, such as this, has more going on. The sourness here comes from tamarind and I’ve suggested adding it in teaspoons so you can judge yourself just how much sourness you want. Toor dhal is also known as toovar dhal and split pigeon peas, but you could use more readily available split red lentils for this.
SERVES 4-6 PREP 15 mins plus soaking COOK 1hr 15-1hr 30 mins EASY V G
For the dhal
430g toor dhal or red split lentils
½ tsp turmeric
2 large tomatoes, chopped (it’s better if you remove the skin but I rarely do) 5cm piece ginger, peeled and grated
2 garlic cloves, crushed or grated
2 green chillies, chopped (deseeded if you don’t like it very hot) 2 tbsp tamarind paste
1 tsp hot chilli powder
2 tsp ground coriander For the tempering
2 tbsp oil or ghee (or a mixture of oil and unsalted butter)
½ tsp cumin seeds
8 garlic cloves, sliced 3 dried chillies (I use Kashmiri), roughly broken 12 curry leaves, fresh or frozen (optional) 1 Soak the toor dhal for about 40 mins, then rinse well. Put it in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan with the turmeric, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and chillies. Add
1.7 litres of water and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down low and cook until you have a thick purée, adding water if it gets too dry. Dhal can be quite soupy or quite thick, depending on how you like it. Simply reduce it to thicken it, or add water to thin it. Season to taste.
2 When the dhal is at a thickness you like, add the tamarind, chilli powder (unless it’s already hot enough), and the ground coriander and check the seasoning.
3 Tempering is the last phase for a dhal. Heat the oil or ghee in a frying pan and add the cumin seeds. Cook over a medium heat for about 30 secs, then add the garlic and cook for about 10 secs (the garlic should eventually become golden but not brown so don’t overdo it at this point), then add the dried chillies and the curry leaves, if using ). Fry until the dried chillies have changed colour slightly and the curry leaves are crisp. Pour this over the dhal and stir. Cover and leave to sit for a few mins before serving.
GOOD TO KNOW healthy • low fat • folate • iron • 2 of 5-a-day • gluten free PER SERVING 457 kcals • fat 9g • saturates 4g • carbs 68g • sugars 6g • fibre 3g • protein 25g • salt 03g