15-minute black dhal
Ella says: “This is a shortcut recipe for a quick, creamy, deeply flavoursome dhal. Traditional black dhal uses black urad dhal (lentils), but cooking those from scratch takes a long time, so we’ve swapped them for pre-cooked Puy lentils so that you can get lunch on the table in 15 minutes, making it an easy option for a quick lunch. The chilli, ginger, red onion and coriander give it a punchy flavour that’s equally warming and invigorating.” SERVES 2
INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped Small chunk of ginger (about 20g/2cm), peeled and finely chopped
1 long green chilli, finely chopped
1 × 250g pack of cooked Puy lentils or 1 × 400g tin of green lentils, drained and rinsed
1 heaped tbsp tomato purée
125ml coconut cream, plus extra to serve 2 tsps medium curry powder
2 large handfuls of spinach (about 100g) Juice of ½ lemon
½ bunch of coriander (about 10–15g), roughly chopped
Sea salt
METHOD
1Warm the olive oil in a saucepan set over a medium heat. Set aside about a third of each of the chopped onion, ginger and chilli, then add the remainder to the pan. Cook for 8–10 minutes, until soft and fragrant. 2While the onion is cooking, add 2 tablespoons of lentils, the tomato purée, coconut cream, curry powder and a pinch of salt to a food processor or mini chopper and blitz until completely smooth. 3Add the spice paste to the onions and cook for another minute, then add the remaining lentils and 200ml of boiling water. Bring to a simmer, then add the spinach and lemon juice, stirring until the spinach has wilted. Taste to check the seasoning and adjust as needed. 4Divide the dhal between serving bowls and scatter over the reserved onion, ginger and chilli, followed by the coriander, a pinch of salt and an extra spoonful of coconut cream.