Creamy Lentil Dahl

Ingredients

  • 200g mixed dahl
  • 3 tablespoons of oil
  • 1 tsp roasted cumin seeds
  • 1 medium or 1/2 large onion, finely diced
  • 2/3 cloves of garlic, grated/chopped
  • 1-2 inches of ginger, grated/chopped
  • OR: 2T garlic & ginger mixture
  • 3 tbsp diced tinned tomatoes or a medium sized tomato diced
  • 2 tbsp Sobhna's curry paste
  • 2 tbsp hot water
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. Wash dahl and drain repeatedly until water is clear. Add to medium size pot and cover with ~2 inches of water. Bring to the boil and cook for ~35 minutes - when ready, it should be cooked all the way through and very soft when pressed between fingers.
  2. Add 3 tbsp oil to another pot and heat. Check if oil is ready by adding a few cumin seeds - if the cumin rises, the oil is ready.
  3. Add a tsp of roasted cumin seeds into the pot and stir.
  4. Add ginger and garlic and stir in. (Be careful - oil may spit.)
  5. Add the diced onions and cook on a medium-high heat until soft and caramelised, approximately 6-7 minutes depending on temperatre.
  6. Mix 2 tbsp of curry paste with a small amount of hot water in a small bowl to form a soft paste. Turn heat to low and stir into pot.
  7. Add 3 tbsp of diced tomato. Raise heat to medium-high and stir for 3-4 minutes, to cook the tomatoes through.
  8. Carefully add the cooked dahl to the pot. Stir the dahl, cover the pot and simmer for ~7-8 minutes. Taste dahl and add salt to suit.
  9. Check consistency of dahl and add up to a cup of hot water to achieve desired consistency. Simmer for another ~5 minutes. (Skip this step for a thicker dahl).
  10. One dahl has achieved desired consistency, add 1/2 tsp garam masala, stir, and remove from the heat.