Savour Indian flavours with these aromatic dhal dishes
Coconut and Kale Toor Dhal
Per serving: 590 cals | 30.2g fat
Serves 4
Ready in 1 hr, 30 mins, plus soaking
For the toor dhal base:
150g toor dhal
500ml plus 2 tbsp boiling water
2.5cm piece of fresh ginger,
peeled and grated
½ tsp fine sea salt
For the tadka:
5 tbsp vegetable oil
1cm piece of cassia bark
or cinnamon stick
4 cloves
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
10-15 fresh curry leaves
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp Kashmiri chilli or
chilli powder
To finish:
200ml coconut milk
1 tsp palm sugar or jaggery
50g fresh kale, chopped
To serve:
dried coconut chips
cooked basmati rice
(or naan bread)
1 For the dhal base, pick through the toor dhal to remove any stones. Place them in a colander and rinse under cold running water, until the water runs clear. Transfer the rinsed lentils to a pressure cooker with the boiling water, ginger and salt. Close the pressure cooker and place over a medium heat. Cook for about 15 minutes (or nine whistles). If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you will first need to soak the picked and rinsed lentils in a litre of boiling water for 4-5 hours. Drain the lentils, then transfer them to a large saucepan with one litre of fresh boiling water, the ginger and salt. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil, then simmer over a medium heat for 60-70 minutes, topping up with more water as needed.
2 When the lentils are soft and falling apart, release the steam from the pressure cooker slowly (or remove the pan from the heat). Most of the water should have been absorbed during cooking, but gently crush the lentils with any small amount that remains, then set aside.
3 For the tadka, place the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the cassia bark or cinnamon stick and the cloves, and let them sizzle for 30 seconds. Add the mustard and cumin seeds, and shake the pan gently. After about 30 seconds, stir in the curry leaves, cumin, coriander, turmeric and chilli.
4 Pour the cooked toor dhal base into the seasoned oil and mix well. Simmer gently over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
5 To finish, pour in the coconut milk, add the palm sugar or jaggery and kale. Simmer gently for 10 minutes to allow the kale to soften.
6 Meanwhile, toast the coconut chips in a hot, dry frying pan for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until crisp and toasted.
7 Divide the dhal into serving bowls and top each one with toasted
