Dhal for all you Darls out there (Indian food is easy and incredibly nutritious)

How many of you fall into the category of thinking its too difficult to make Indian food from scratch?

Well if you do then here I am with the first of a series of Indian recipes that will make you think again. I worked all day on Friday and came home to the joy of having two friends (Khoj and Ragini) over for the night who I hadn't see for what felt like decades. In one very short hour with some chopping help from Ragini (which was quite intimidating cooking for her as she is one of the best chefs I know) I managed to cook a curry, dhal, rice, chutney and fry up papadams.

Dhal is one of those meals you can rustle up in next to no time and if you want to make things even simpler you can pop your rice in with the dhal and make a kidgeree. There are plenty of ways to make dhal more complicated, ways where you dry fry the spices then grind them, but I choose to throw the spices the lentils and water all in at once and let it do its thing.

There is a magic ingredient in this dhal I share with you though and it is the spice called Arjwain. I have only been using this spice for 10 months now and I am wondering what I did without it all those years. Dhals with arjwain are the bomb and to boot it has a long list of healing properties. Some of the ones that interest me is it aids digestion, makes for less farting when eating beans, is great for warding off coughs and colds and can help with weight loss.

You can add whatever veggies you want to dhal in whatever quantity you want but my all time fave is simply adding shredded kale or silverbeet. Serve dhal with rice or millet, the date and coconut chutney (recipe in my book) a nice spoon of coconut yogurt and a fresh lime soda and you will surely think you have been transported back to Inida. Now to the serious side, why is Indian food nutritious- well when you serve a bean or legume with a grain you have a complete protein making it a very easy option for vegans to get enough protein for their main meal.

Kale Dhal with Arjwain

With this recipe you may need to add more or less water than I suggest.  I like dhal soupy like the Indians serve it in India but if you prefer a less soupy dhal then add less water.

1/2 tsp ground arjwain

2 tsp cumin seeds bit of hing if you want (i don't bother)

1 to 1.5 tsp tumeric

3 cups of red split lentils or moong dhal (soaked for 3 hours and well rinsed)

5 cups of filtered boiling water or more

1 bunch kale destalked and shredded finely

1 clove garlic minced

1 tsp salt plus to taste chilli if you want it hot

Place everything in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Once boiling let simmer for 20 minutes or until the dhal is cooked through. If a foam forms on the top be sure to scoop it off and add more water if the lentils are looking too dry. To learn how to cook more delicious vegan dishes and learn about how to stay healthy as a vegan

Categories:Mains

Tags:lentils dhal

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