Red Lentil Dhal with Coconut Milk

​This is one of my favourite things to cook and eat. Even though I have made it many times, I never stop being impressed with this dish. There is SO much flavour and it  quickly comes together with a few basic ingredients. Not only is it delicious, it is inexpensive and healthy. I picked up a big bag of lentils for under 3 dollars!! I like to add coconut milk to my dhal for a bit of added richness, though I am not sure how authentic that is. I garnish it with fresh cilantro and lime wedges. The other thing I often do, is shred up some spinach and let it take the place of some or all of the rice. I have always done this with the curries that I make, it adds a bit of green goodness and then I just stir it all together and start piling it onto pieces of flatbread. The chapati flatbreads I serve with this are made from flour, water & salt. If you are trying to eat plant based and worried about the cost or that the food is boring and lacking in flavour, just put this recipe into your repertoire. 

What is Dhal?

Dhal can also be spelled dal, dahl or daal (I'm not sure if one spelling is more correct). It's a term used in the Indian subcontinent to describe dried beans, lentils or peas. It also is a term used for the finished dish, of which many variations exist. I don't know how authentic my recipe is, but it's what I like to eat. 

Onto the recipes

much love,
Trisha

Recipes

If you want to watch how I make Dhal & Chapati, check out my short 4 minute video on YouTube! Written version below. 

Red Lentil Dhal with Coconut Milk

Ingredients

• few glugs of veg oil
• 1 large onion 
• 2 inches fresh ginger 
• 1 inch fresh turmeric or 1 tsp ground 
• 6 cloves garlic
• pinch chile flakes
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 cups dried red lentils 
• 1 x 400 ml can coconut milk
• 1100 ml water
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1.5 tsp salt

Method:

1. Blitz onion, garlic, ginger and turmeric in food processor. (you can chop by hand but this is how I like to do it.)
2. Swirl a good amount of veg oil in a pot over medium high heat.
3. Sautee pureed onion mixture about 5 minutes, then add dried spices and cook another couple of minutes. 
4. Add remainder of ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. 
5. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lentils are cooked through and the mixture is thick. (there was a bit of liquid left in mine, I refrigerated it over night and it had thickened up more by the next day) 
6. You might want to adjust seasonings. A bit more heat, sugar, salt or pepper to your taste. Serve with rice, chapatis, lime wedges & cilantro. 

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Whole Wheat Chapati

Recipe:Yield: 12 Chapatis

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup warm water
• couple pinches sea salt

Method:
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1. Combine flour and salt in a bowl and add your water. Use a fork to stir it all together until flour is moistened and all comes together. Dump onto floured work surface. Kneed the dough for about 10 minutes. You will probably have to add flour periodically to prevent sticking. When you are working with dough like this it should still feel a tiny bit tacky but not super sticky, and definitely you don't want it super dry either. Same as pizza dough.
2. Put covered in a clean bowl to rest at least 30 minutes.
3. To roll out flatbreads, divide dough into 12 equal pieces. I don't bother weighing them but you could. Have a damp cloth to cover the portioned balls as you roll them so they don't dry out.
4. Heat a cast iron pan over medium high heat. 
5. Press a ball of dough between the palms of your hands to form a disc. Dust with flour and roll out to form a very thin disc. Shake off excess flour then to cook place the disc in your pan, it will start to bubble on the top (30 seconds to a minute usually) Flip it over, there should be some dark blistered spots and this is what you are looking for. Repeat this process. You might have to adjust your heat as you go. I reheated my chapatis in the pan the next day over medium heat for a few seconds each side just until warm.