Coconut and Turmeric Lentil Dhal & Roasted Chilli Tenderstem Broccoli

There are loads of recipes for Dahl, in fact I have a great little book called ‘The Delicious Book of Dhal’ by Nitisha Patel that has over 40 recipes which I use regularly. But this is my version, it’s a base Dhal recipe but I use a turmeric and ginger paste and use coconut milk to make it creamy. This is often a favourite dish when I cater retreats, it’s comforting and excellent in the Autumn and Winter months. 

What You'll Need:

1-inch peeled, grated fresh ginger

1-inch grated fresh turmeric if you can get it, or ½ tsp ground turmeric 

1-2 inch of cassia bark/cinnamon stick

1 x onion finely diced

2 cloves chopped garlic

½ tsp of each – ground coriander, ground cumin, chilli powder and garam masala

7oz red split lentils

1 tin coconut milk 

600 mls boiling water

1 jar Bold Bean Queen chickpeas

Sea Salt Flakes/Ground black pepper

Small bunch of coriander, chopped

2 tbls coconut oil

Instructions:

• Melt the coconut oil in a deep sauté pan, add the onion and garlic and cook gently, be careful not to burn the garlic, the onion should remain translucent and not take on any colour. When softened add the grated turmeric (or turmeric powder) and ginger and cook with the onion and garlic for a further minute. Add the rest of the spices and coat the onion mixture.

• Stir the lentils into the onion mixture and fry for a few minutes so that they start to crisp slightly, this adds a deeper flavour to the finished dahl. Add the coconut milk and the boiling water and simmer for 20 minutes, until the lentils are soft, and the mixture has reduced and thickened. Stir in the Queen chickpeas, coriander and simmer for a further 2-3 minutes.

• Serve with rice, naan bread or Bombay potatoes

Tips/Notes

Use butter, ghee or olive oil in place of the coconut oil if preferred and replace the coconut milk with water. However, the coconut makes it really creamy and moreish. A little squeeze of lemon juice will cut through the richness.

Make double of the ginger and turmeric paste and freeze it to use at another time. I make mine in the nutri-bullet with some garlic and freeze it in ice cube trays.

You could use other lentils, but be mindful the cooking time may be longer, I use red lentils as they cook down and make the dahl creamy, they also look a great yellow/orange colour with the turmeric.

The dahl can be frozen and used on its own for a quick meal, or as a side dish to curry. You could also blitz the finished dhal to make a soup – adding a little stock or water.

Make it extra – any (or all) of the following will make the dahl into a heartier dish and up your veggie count - top the dahl with roasted broccoli or cauliflower or stir through some baby spinach. Reserve some of the Queen chickpeas and roast them coated in Garam Masala (be mindful if left in too long the chickpeas will begin to pop)

Some lightly pickled sliced red onions on the top for texture would be great. Add some extra fresh chilli if you’d like more heat.