Vegan Tarka Dahl

pornstarbarbie's Note:

I made this when replicating the curry houses. It took some perfecting, but I got there. This also tastes nice with a little creamed coconut in it.

• Total Time: 24 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 24 hrs
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 3

• 2 inches fresh ginger, skinned and fine diced
• 2 teaspoons black onion seeds
• 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon molasses or 1 teaspoon sugar
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 large onions, finley chopped
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 3 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons coriander, leaf
• 100 g frozen spinach (or fresh)
• 1 cup yellow split peas (I think chana dahl?)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable ghee
• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 vegetable stock cube

Directions:

1. Soak the yellow split peas overnight, drain and rinse.
2. Add to pan of cold water. add veg stock cube and garam masala.
3. Bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes or until soft, drain and set aside.
4. Heat the mustard and onion seeds in a frying pan until the mustard seeds start to pop usually about 30 secs to a minute; add the ghee and oil and bring to a high heat.
5. Add the onions, stirring frequently. Turn down the heat and add the garlic and ginger. Stir and cook for a further two minutes and add the spices, stirring well.
6. Add the cooked yellow split peas, adding a little more oil or ghee if necessary. Add the spinach and molasses/sugar and a 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a low simmer and cook gently for 5-10 minutes.
7. Serve with naan bread.

Reviews

[FLKeysJen]

Liked it! I've never tried dahl before and this was good. It's amazing that with this amount and variety of spices, it comes together as a cohesive final dish. The peas were not soft even after an hour of simmering so next time I'll simmer them for a couple hours or increase the heat. Also it was a little dry so I'd recommend the additional oil or creamed coconut. Made for Pick a Chef Spring 2008.