A creamy lentil curry from the east of India which I found in ” Thali” by Maunika Gowardhan.
Ingredients
- 1.2 litres water
- 300 g chana dal
- 4 cloves
- 1 heaped tsp ground turmeric
- 1 heaped tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 green birds eye chillies slit lengthways
- 30 g grated fresh or frozen coconut
- 20 g raisins
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander to garnish
- For the ground-spice mix:
- 8 green cardamom pods seeds only
- 5 cm stick cinnamon
- 3 dried red Kashmiri chillies
- 3 dried red Kashmiri chillies
Servings:
Instructions
- Bring the water to the boil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, then add the chana dal and return to the boil. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring often, and lifting off any foam that forms on the top with a slotted spoon.
- Add the cloves, turmeric, salt and sugar, and continue simmering for a further 45 minutes until the dal is soft, stirring frequently to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Turn off the heat and remove and discard the cloves.
- Crush the dal lightly with a potato masher. To make the ground-spice mix, put the cardamom seeds, cinnamon and chillies in a spice grinder to make a fine powder; then set aside.
- Heat the ghee or oil in a non-stick, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the bay leaves and cumin seeds and cook for a few seconds until they sizzle. Now, add the green chillies and stir for two to three seconds.
- Add the coconut and fry for two to three minutes until it begins to turn light brown, then pour in the cooked chana dal, stirring well. Bring to the boil, then add the raisins and the spice mix.
- Simmer over a low heat for four to five minutes. Add the fresh coriander and serve warm on your thali with parathas, flatbreads , or steamed rice.
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