Its a Dal kinda Sunday…
As today arrives and its a Sunday, a glorious morning sitting outside with my warm pink wool blanket around me holding a lemon with local honey steaming drink, whilst still in my PJ’s. The orange glow of the Sun rising to a chorus of Chaffinch’s, Wrens, Great Tits, Rook, Robin and a quick burst from Blackbird starts my day with a smile, a deep heart thank you and remembering that I am part of this! At times life seems so fast, even when consciously creating space within days and weeks …….. after working and ensuring siesta’s where possible throughout the week - Sunday is my batch cooking day to ensure I remember to eat throughout the week along with taking the pressure off the use of my hands! (that’s for another blog !)
Throughout my life I haven’t really been drawn to eating, forgetting a lot of the time especially when living by myself. Transiting menopause and chronic underlying conditions the need for nutrition to support my systems has been at the forefront and definitely part of the overall way of being in reducing symptoms. Dal is delicious and nutritious, I invite you to create space within your week to give the recipe below a go!
Let me know how you found it and if you change anything.
Signing off til the next surge of wordsmith upwelling.
Love
Luciana xx
DAL RECIPE
sourced (I’ve adapted) Dal Recipe (Indian Lentil Curry) - The Delicious Crescent
Total Ingredients: -
Dal:-
1 cup Red Lentils (masoor dal or other yellow lentils)
1Onion (yellow, medium, finely chopped)
3 cloves Garlic (finely sliced)
1 teaspoon Turmeric (optional)
4 cups Water
add Salt (sea salt)
Tadka:-
5 tablespoons Olive Oil (or ghee)
4 teaspoons Cumin Seeds
9 Dried Red Chilies (optional)
20 Curry Leaves
1 ½ inches Ginger (finely grated)
4 cloves Garlic (finely grated)
1 Shallot (or small onion, finely chopped)
1 Green Chili (optional, remove seeds for less heat)
1 teaspoon Chili Powder (Kashmiri chili powder is less pungent)
1 teaspoon Ground Coriander
½ teaspoon Ground Cumin
¼ teaspoon Garam Masala
1 teaspoon Kasuri Methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
½ teaspoon Mustard Seeds (optional)
5 cloves Garlic (thinly sliced)
2 tablespoons Cilantro (chopped)
1 tablespoon Ghee (optional, recommended)
How to Make it
In a cooking pot, cook red lentils with chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, sliced garlic and turmeric until well done and mushy.
Dal
Rinse the lentils until the water is clear and drain in colander.
Tip: If using other yellow lentils instead of red lentils, then soaking in hot water for about an hour will help.
In a medium cooking pot take the drained red lentils, chopped onions, sliced garlic, turmeric, water and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and cook it for about 30 minutes.
Add salt to taste and continue to cook until most lentils start breaking down, become a bit mushy and turn into a thick sauce like consistency.
Tip: Cook the dal until it reaches a consistency that is thinner than what is desired, because it will thicken further after cooking.
Restaurant Style Tadka
Heat oil or ghee in a heavy bottomed sauce pan, add cumin seeds.
When the seeds start to splutter, add dried red chillies and curry leaves. Sauté until they start to change color. Add chopped ginger and garlic. Sauté until aromatic. Add chopped shallots and cook until translucent. Then add chopped tomatoes and cook until softened.
Next add green chilies, turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala and kasuri methi. Stir and turn off the heat. Don’t let the spices burn.
Add ⅔ of this tempered spice oil, and half the chopped cilantro to the cooked dal. Stir and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the dal into a serving dish and top with remaining tempered spice oil, cilantro and ghee.
Is Dal Healthy?
Dal is vegetarian, light and makes a wholesome dish with brown rice. The split lentils used to make this dish are packed with protein, fibre, folic acid, phosphorus, manganese, iron and phytochemicals.
Being a good source of soluble fibre, lentils aid in lowering cholesterol levels.
Notes
Ghee is available at most supermarkets. Alternatively make it at home with this wonderful recipe and video.
Substitute masoor dal with chana dal, toor dal, moong dal or a combination. Adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Nutrition
(Provided by The Delicious Crescent website)
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 73mg | Potassium: 760mg | Fibre: 17g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1355IU | Vitamin C: 197mg | Calcium: 121mg | Iron: 6mg