Well It’s officially winter! Like official, official. As in you can no longer feel your hands and toes in the mornings. There’s ice on the car windscreens, and you know what that means…. Time to bring all those hearty winter warmer dishes out of the archives and to the spot light. Salads be gone. Dhals, curries and stews have got it from here, thanks.
Probably my favourite thing about winter living in Melbourne is the food. Haha who am I kidding, regardless of season it’s always the food. But what I mean to say is that here in Melbourne and most of Australia, during winter there is no snow to get excited about, all we are left with is food and football. I’ll take a pass on the latter and just go warm up the oven…brb
If there is anyone else out there who is feeling the winter blues this dish is for you. It contains a sh…. really big amount of spices that will send any sort of SADs (seasonal affective disorder) packing.
Before we get into making let’s chat about lentils. Lentil’s are a dietary staple throughout regions of India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal and are in fact the oldest pulse crop known.
They are incredibly magical pulses that will keep you feeling full and satisfied. They have the ability to take on flavour like a sponge and are so versatile and adaptable that you can use them in both sweet and savoury dishes.
For today’s recipe I’ve decided to use green lentils. Green lentils take a little longer to cook than their red cousins and tend to hold shape a little better. My husband tells me they have a more ‘meat’ like texture and I would have to agree. Slightly peppery in fact. This makes them great in all kinds of dishes be it curries, salads and the perfect ingredient for pie filling….But back to using them in this curry dhal. If you’re short on time or prefer a more ‘mashed potato’ consistency use red lentils and simply reduce the cooking time.
The dhal is great on its own but if you have natural coconut yoghurt (coyo is my favourite brand) then I would highly recommend adding it to the dish. It will take it to the next level. Think rich, creamy and luxurious all the ingredients that a dish perfect for winter calls for.
Double the quantities and you’ll have dhal to last you a couple of days.
P.s it also makes a great filler for toasted sandwiches, curried lentil dhal toastie!? I’ll take three!
If you make this recipe, I would love your feedback. Feel welcome to add a comment below, tag me on Instagram or facebook or use the hashtag #theplantritionist
I would love to hear from you!
Add all Dhal ingredients (except for the baby spinach leaves) into a large pot and set the stove to a medium heat and cover the pot with a lid. Once the Dhal begins to bubble, reduce the heat down to low. Remove the lid and allow the Dhal to continue to cook until the liquid has evaporated and you're left with a lovely and thick Dhal. Stir occasionally to avoid the Dhal burning on the bottom. If your Dhal is getting stuck to the bottom - you can add a dash more liquid but you probably need to reduce the heat down.
Once the lentils are cooked through (approx. 1 hour if using green lentils or 30 mins if using yellow or red) Turn the stove off and add the baby spinach leaves and stir through. The heat will wilt the baby spinach leaves. Allow the Dhal to sit for at least 10 minutes, Whilst the Dhal rests, cook your rice. Taste your Dhal and add more salt & pepper if desired.
When ready to serve you can either stir through coconut yoghurt directly into the pot - try 1/2 - 3/4 cup first and add more to your taste OR serve into bowls and blob coconut yoghurt on top along with your other toppings.
Ingredients
Directions
Add all Dhal ingredients (except for the baby spinach leaves) into a large pot and set the stove to a medium heat and cover the pot with a lid. Once the Dhal begins to bubble, reduce the heat down to low. Remove the lid and allow the Dhal to continue to cook until the liquid has evaporated and you're left with a lovely and thick Dhal. Stir occasionally to avoid the Dhal burning on the bottom. If your Dhal is getting stuck to the bottom - you can add a dash more liquid but you probably need to reduce the heat down.
Once the lentils are cooked through (approx. 1 hour if using green lentils or 30 mins if using yellow or red) Turn the stove off and add the baby spinach leaves and stir through. The heat will wilt the baby spinach leaves. Allow the Dhal to sit for at least 10 minutes, Whilst the Dhal rests, cook your rice. Taste your Dhal and add more salt & pepper if desired.
When ready to serve you can either stir through coconut yoghurt directly into the pot - try 1/2 - 3/4 cup first and add more to your taste OR serve into bowls and blob coconut yoghurt on top along with your other toppings.
