I have heard of Dal before, but this was my first time cooking and eating a dal, and I am hooked. Dal is essentially an Indian Lentil soup, or in my case more of a stew. The ingredients are easy to find and can basically go into the sauce pan at the same time, making this recipe perfect for a weekday evening. There are many different Dal recipes out there and I plan to try a few this winter. So watch this space.
What you will need for the Cauliflower dal:
3 tbsp coconut oil
1 onion
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 tbsp of your favourite ground curry spice blend
1/2 tbsp mustard seeds, coriander seeds and cardamom seeds grinded together (this just adds more flavour, but if you don’t have them in your spice rack add another 1/2 tbsp extra ground curry)
1 large chunk fresh ginger, grated
1-2 fresh red chilis (if you enjoy spicy food)
1 cauliflower (approx. 500g)
3 potatoes, coarsely diced
200g / 1cup red lentils
4 soft dates, pitted and mashed
1 tin / 400ml coconut milk (if you don’t like creamy soups/stews replace with stock)
600ml / 4 cups vegetable stock
1 – 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
This is how:
- Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and garlic and fry on a low to medium heat.
- When the onion starts becoming translucent add the curry, spices and ginger. Fry, stirring constantly until it smells fragrant. Be careful not to burn the spices. If the mixture feels a little dry add a spoonful or two of water.
- Break the cauliflower into florets and chop the stem finely. Peel the potatoes and dice them into 1cm blocks.
- Add the cauliflower and potatoes to the spices along with the lentils and dates. Sauté for a minute or two before adding the stock.
- Let the mixture simmer for 30 minutes or until the cauliflower florets are tender and the lentils are starting to cook away.
- Add salt and the apple cider vinegar to taste. Serve with garlicy spinach. If you are vegetarian you can add a dollop of plain yoghurt.
- Note: You can either serve the soup chunky (almost like a curry or stew) or blend it to a smooth souplike consistency. It’s up to you.
What you will need for the garlicky spinach:
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 clove garlic, finely sliced or grated
2 -3 handfuls baby spinach
This is how:
- Heat the coconut oil and sauté the mustard seeds and garlic on a low to medium heat until golden and fragrant. Add the spinach and turn off the heat. Stir until wilted. Done! You can add a little sprinkle of salt if you want.
Enjoy!
xxx
Original recipe from greenkitchenstories.com
