How to make an authentic South Indian dhal, my ultimate comfort food
- Cook Time: 40 - 45 minutes
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: serves 4 as a main dish, 6 as a side dish
- Category: Main Dish, Side dish
- Cuisine: Sri Lankan
Ingredients
- 300 grams red lentils (washed)
- 600 mls water (up to a litre)
- 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 cloves of garlic, whole (peeled)
- 1 fresh red chilli (deseeded (if you want a mild dhal))
- a pinch of fenugreek seeds
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- a generous pinch of curry leaves
- 1 yellow onion (chopped)
- 2 tbsp Maldive fish
- 1 dried red chilli crushed
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2cm piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Put the washed lentils into a medium-sized saucepan. Add the water. Into this drop in the peeled clove of garlic, the deseeded chilli, a pinch of fenugreek seeds and the turmeric.
- Bring the water to the boil. Once boiling, turn down the heat and allow the lentils to simmer.
- Let the lentil simmer for around thirty minutes. Occasionally skim of the foam that will develop. Give the lentil the occasional stir.
- The water will start to reduce, but what you are looking for is for the lentils to become mushy and creamy.
- You can continue to keep the lentils cooking while you temper the onions.
- In a small frying pan heat the oil before adding the cumin and mustard seeds.
- Once the seeds start popping add the onion. Lower the heat, and allow the onions to cook, let them become transparent before they start to turn brown.
- Then add the garlic, ginger, curry leaves and Maldive fish, and fry for around two minutes.
- Once the onions start to turn brown, tip the contents of the frying pan into the lentils and mix thoroughly.
- Finally, add the salt. Be generous, and keep tasting until the flavour starts to burst through. It’s the salt that really makes this dish!
- Serve with basmati rice, or as an accompaniment to your main dish.
- Me, I like my dhal with a hard-boiled egg, basmati rice, and a spoonful of a serving of hot lime pickle.
Notes
- Before cooking lentils, wash them through in cold water
- Put the lentils into a saucepan. Add cold water, and swirl the water with your hand.
- The water will turn cloudy. Tip the water out into the sink, and start again
- Keep washing the lentils until the water is clear
- Maldive fish is dried tuna, a typical Sri Lankan ingredient and used to give a dish that umami quality. Therefore to make this dish truly vegetarian or vegan simply leave this out
Find it online: https://tootingmama.com/south-indian-dhal/