Tadka Dhal
1. Gently boil the lentils in a large pan with plenty of cold water (around 1 litre will do) and stir in the turmeric and black cardamom pods (if using). This will add a subtle smoky flavour. 2. Allow to cook for around 45 minutes or until they are softened and broken down. Skim off any foam that sits on the top and give it a stir every now and again in case it begins to stick on the bottom. If it boils dry add more water. 3. Once the lentils are soft, turn down the heat and make the tadka. Gently heat the oil in a frying pan and add the cinnamon, cardamom pods and cloves. 4. When the cardamom has turned white and the heads of the cloves have swollen you are ready to stir in the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When they are sizzling stir in the spring onions, chillies, garlic and ginger. 5. After a minute, stir through the to- matoes and turn off the heat. Pour the tadka into the dhal so it floats on top. This is the traditional way to serve it, with the scented oil settled on top. I prefer to stir it through and then season with salt, sugar and lemon. 6. Finally stir through the fresh coriander and serve with some rice or fresh bread for ultimate comfort food. My Secret When I’m tired I crave dhal. It’s like a hug in a bowl. To bulk it out and make it more of a meal I stir through some fresh greens such as spinach or watercress. A great way to use up old veg in your fridge.
This is probably the most famous lentil dish coming out of India. Yellow lentils tempered with spices and the usual holy trinity. It has always been a favourite of mine and it would grace our family dinner table at least once a week when I was growing up. There are lots of different recipes of flavouring the oil (tadka) so play around with your spice pantry and see what you come up with me. If you haven’t got half of these spices then don’t worry, just add a tablespoon of your favourite spice paste and it will taste just as delicious.
Serves 4 Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 45 minutes
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300g toor dhal (yellow lentils/yellow split peas), washed in several changes of water 1 tsp turmeric powder 2 black cardamom pods (optional) 3 tbsp vegetable oil 2 cinnamon stick 4 green cardamom pods 6 cloves 2 tsp black mustard seeds 1 tsp cumin seeds 2 spring onions, finely sliced 2 - 3 chillies, any colour, deseeded if you don’t like it fiery, some chopped and rest left whole 2 fat cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 tbsp fresh root ginger, finely chopped 6 cherry tomatoes, cut into half good pinch of salt, to taste 1 tsp sugar, to taste juice of ½ lemon, to taste lots of fresh chopped coriander, to garnish
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THE LEGAL CORNER MAGAZINE | ISSUE 008 JULY '24 | RESTAURANT, FOOD & BEVERAGE EDITION HB 14
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