Red Lentil Dahl
Serves: 3
Time: 40 minutes
Dahls are by far my favourite cosy meal, especially as the days are getting colder and darker. I absolutely love this dahl for its simplicity and flavour – it is honestly SO packed with flavour! I leave the coconut milk out of it, but the lentils still become so creamy and break down deliciously. It’s honestly my new favourite meal and I could eat it every day! It makes for great leftovers, and the recipe is so versatile you can add whatever veg you want to it. Courgettes go lovely in it, or aubergine, as I added to it here.
Ingredients:
220g of red lentils (rinse before cooking with them)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 red chilli
3-4 cloves of garlic chopped finely or crushed (I use 4)
2 tablespoons of curry powder
½ tablespoon of garam masala
½ tablespoon of turmeric
½ tablespoon of ground cumin
500ml of vegetable stock (I recommend kallo organic – made up of pure veg and low in salt)
4 fresh tomatoes chopped
2-3 handfuls of spinach or kale
1 aubergine
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
Juice of a lemon
Cooking Steps:
Pre-heat the oven to 200C.
Chop up your aubergine into small pieces and place on a lined baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Place in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until soft.
Meanwhile, place a large pot over a medium heat. Add your olive oil, garlic, chilli and spices. Cook for around 1 minute.
Now add your lentils and ensure they are coated in the oil mixture. Add some water throughout when needed to stop it from sticking.
Cook this for a few minutes before adding your vegetable stock and your fresh tomatoes.
Mix it all together and leave to simmer. Continue to mix to ensure the lentils aren’t sticking, and continue to add more water when needed – don’t worry about adding too much as the lentils will absorb it.
Once the lentils have broken down after about 20 minutes, add your spinach or kale and reduce the heat to low. Now add your cooked aubergine and mix it all together over the low heat and add the fresh lemon juice (this really brings all the flavours out)
Serve it up and enjoy!