KHATTI DHAL

Khatti dhal image

Serve this tasty, healthy dhal as a vegetarian main meal or side dish. Adding tamarind to the lentils delivers fabulous sweet and sour flavour

Provided by Diana Henry

Time 1h45m

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

430g toor dhal or red split lentils
½ tsp turmeric
2 large tomatoes, chopped (better if you remove the skin but not essential)
5cm piece ginger, peeled and grated
2 garlic cloves, crushed or grated
2 green chillies, chopped (deseeded if you don't like it very hot)
2 tbsp tamarind paste
1 tsp hot chilli powder
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tbsp oil or ghee (or a mixture of oil and unsalted butter)
½ tsp cumin seeds
8 garlic cloves, sliced
3 dried chillies (I use Kashmiri), roughly broken
12 curry leaves, fresh or frozen (optional)

Steps:

Soak the toor dhal for about 40 mins, then rinse well. Put it in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan with the turmeric, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and chillies. Add 1.7 litres of water and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down low and cook until you have a thick purée, adding water if it gets too dry. Dhal can be quite soupy or quite thick, depending on how you like it. Simply reduce it to thicken it, or add water to thin it. Season to taste.
When the dhal is at a thickness you like, add the tamarind, chilli powder (unless it's already hot enough), and the ground coriander and check the seasoning.
Tempering is the last phase for a dhal. Heat the oil or ghee in a frying pan and add the cumin seeds. Cook over a medium heat for about 30 secs, then add the garlic and cook for about 10 secs (the garlic should eventually become golden but not brown so don't overdo it at this point), then add the dried chillies and the curry leaves, if using. Fry until the dried chillies have changed colour slightly and the curry leaves are crisp. Pour this over the dhal and stir. Cover and leave to sit for a few mins before serving.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 457 calories, Fat 9 grams fat, SaturatedFat 4 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 68 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 6 grams sugar, Fiber 3 grams fiber, Protein 25 grams protein, Sodium 0.3 milligram of sodium