It’s been a very indecisive week around here. As you can see I’ve made a few changes to this blog and if you stopped by in the last few days while I was chopping and changing you may have wondered what the hell I was up to! Haha, me too. For a minute there I wanted this look, but have now gone back to the darker version, for now. See I’ve been wanting to change the look around here for ages now, but as I’m no graphic or web designer there’s only so much I can do. Really all I wanted to do was simplify things and let the photos do the talking.
There was one thing I was sure of over the weekend though, and that was that dahl was going to be made at some point. If you’ve been reading for some time you will know how much I love all things Indian, and dahl in it’s many forms is one of my favourite things to eat.
I’m not sure if this version tops the Tadka Dahl recipe I posted late last year, but it’s a nice simple dahl to make and is perfect for the winter months when tomatoes are not around (or if they are, they’re not all that nice to eat!). Have a great week people xx
Keen for a little more spice?
- Eggplant (aubergine) curry
- North Indian spiced cauliflower w/ ginger
- Thai yellow curry w/ pumpkin, tofu and spinach
- Persian-style pilaf w/ chickpeas, mint + harissa
- Spiced potato wedges w/ oregano, paprika and chilli
- Chickpea curry
- Spicy coconut noodle soup
- Beetroot + aubergine pilau
dahl maharani
You can find moong dahl, fresh curry leaves and asafoetida at your local Indian grocery store. If you like your dahl to be quite mild, when you chop the dried chillies sneak a few of those seeds out and discard. I always use ghee in my curries (recipe to make your own here), but if you are strictly dairy-free or vegan you can use oil in place of it no worries. If you are coeliac or super sensitive to gluten I’d leave out the asafoetida unless you can find the pure resin form, as all the powdered stuff contains wheat. Read more here.
serves 4-6
- 1 cup (215g) moong dahl (skinned mung beans), rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon ghee
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 3 green chillies, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3 1/2-4 cups (875-1000ml) water
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 2 dried red chillies, chopped into chunks
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 sprigs fresh curry leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida powder, optional
- small handful chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves, roughly chopped + extra to serve
- cooked basmati rice and plain yoghurt, to serve
Place moong dahl into a medium pot, add 1 teaspoon of the ghee, turmeric powder, green chillies, garlic and 3 1/2 cups water. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer gently for 20-25 minutes or until moong dahl is really tender. Add salt and cumin powder and cook for a further few minutes.
Meanwhile heat remaining 1/4 cup ghee in a frying pan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and chopped dried chillies, fry for a few minutes until fragrant. Add onion, curry leaves (discard stems) and asafoetida, if using. Cook, stirring often for 10 minutes until deep golden brown and delicious. Tip onion mixture into moong dahl and cook for a further 2 minutes, adding extra water if needed. Stir through chopped coriander and serve with basmati rice, plain yoghurt and a sprinkle of fresh coriander leaves.
Inspired by a recipe found in Naturally Speaking: Indian Recipes + Home Remedies by Devagi Sanmugam.
18 Responses
My dad was on a huge Indian food kick for quite a while a few years back, and I remember him making dahl sometimes — this recipe definitely makes me want to make some myself now! Especially since it serves as a little nostalgia. 🙂
Sounds like your dad was onto a good thing 🙂 Dahl is super easy to make too xx
Another of your posts that has me salivating wildly.
Love the new look too esp the darker version 🙂
Thanks heaps for your feedback on the new look Mara xx
Mmm, your bowl of dahl and rice looks so inviting – thanks for the inspiration.
I like your new look very much! You chose well.
Great photos,love the smoky blue bowl.
My new favourite op-shop find 🙂
Ha, we have all been there with the constant changes (or at least I have been… many times) — this recipe has me salivating for sure. It's the kind that has me wishing I could just order this to be delivered in 15 minutes because I want to eat it now! : )
Lovely recipe fit for a queen, indeed!
I really think this I'd going on my menu this week!
I'd love to give my blog a face lift, but don't have the confidence to fiddle with it. Last time I tried I accidentally deleted stuff and went to bed with a migrane 🙂 I'll just have to get around to paying someone I guess- maybe I can hire someone who'll work for cookies or cakes? 🙂
Oh I nearly went to bed with a migraine too, thought I'd deleted my entire garden page… thankfully I'm just stupid and saved it as a draft instead of updating the page :-/ I'd love to pay someone to pimp my blog with cookies too, wonder if there would be such a person out there? haha
Love 🙂 Lentils are a favourite….so comforting & so tasty. In fact love all of those spicy dishes listed! And looking forward to seeing you next week via Skype at conference!
Me too Mairi, although I am getting a tad nervous :-/ haha
Gorgeous photo Emma. It's morning, but I'd eat that for breakfast in a heartbeat. I'm loving the bowl too. Great find!
how amazing pictures……….
I love Dahl and don't make it enough. I'm forever wanting to change my blog look but usually something else comes up and I get distracted away from it!
This is the most amazing dish. When I need grounding in my life this is what I turn too. We're moving in a month and that means leaving my curry leaf tree behind. Maybe I need to start growing one in a pot to tide us over……thank you for this delightful recipe x
This is delicious! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe. It was very easy and uncomplicated to make. I used the asafoetida powder as well (very little, as discribed in the recipe), and it really gave a nice/authentic taste to the dish.