Weeknight Dahl

The Steps

Toast Spices (2 Mins)

Add all but the veg, Simmer until soft (18 mins)

Add veg and cook till tender (10 mins)

Ladel over basmati rice (or any grain)

add desired toppings (avo + lemon + pepper + cilantro)

ta-da!

This recipe is one of the handful we rotate pretty religiously throughout the cooler months. I mean, look at how easy it just came together! I’m relatively impatient when it comes to dinner most nights, and recipes like this that amplify flavor but not time are my favorite. Dahl is a dried and split lentil or pea, which is then cooked in a variety of spices, and often pureed. While we tend to skip the pureeing bit, we love making Dahl with split red lentils or yellow split peas. They fall apart and create the most luscious stew. Our rendition here is by no means authentic (I don’t believe) but it is the way we’ve come to prepare Dahl in our home, and we love this recipe.

Here we have added broccoli and green beans, but you can use any veg you prefer throughout the seasons - such as sweet potatoes, cauliflower, spinach, cherry tomatoes, peas, asparagus, etc. The spices here are everything. Stock up on them and use them to make this all year long. And while white basmati is amazing here, brown basmati, quinoa, brown rice, or baked potatoes are all great bases to ladle the Dahl on top of too.

---

WEEKNIGHT DAHL
Makes 4 servings, can be doubled for meal prep.

1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 yellow onion
4 cloves of garlic
1 cup of diced carrot
1 tablespoon minced ginger, fresh
1 cup of split red lentils
4 to 5 cups of filtered water
3 to 4 cups of chosen veg (such as broccoli, green beans, cauliflower, or peas)
Sea salt, to taste

For serving:
cooked basmati rice, or other grain
freshly ground black pepper
lemon juice
cilantro
avocado

1. Begin by placing the cumin, coriander, turmeric, mustard seeds, and chili flakes in a large pot. Heat over medium-low heat on the stove, stirring often, until fragrant and releasing their oils (about 2 minutes after the pot is properly heated).

2. Dice the onion, press or mince the garlic, and add these to the pot along with the carrot, minced ginger, red lentils, and filtered water.

3. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and let cook until the lentils are soft (about 15-18 minutes). Stirring occasionally.

4. Add your chosen veg, give them a stir, and press below the broth level in the pot. (If using veg that require different cooking times, add them in stages. Such as cauliflower or sweet potatoes first, and fresh spinach and green peas last.)

5. Leave to cook until tender, about another 10 minutes.

6. Serve over basmati rice, or your chosen grain, which I usually have cooking while the Dahl is simmering.

7. Top with a good squeeze of lemon juice for acidity, freshly ground black pepper (to help with absorbing the beautiful health-promoting compounds in the turmeric), cilantro, and avocado.

   Tips:

   • If you don’t have any avocado on hand, or they are out of season near you, add a splash of full fat coconut milk to the Dahl when you add the veggies in order to get in a healthy fat to help with absorbing the fat-soluble vitamins in this dish.

   • If batch cooking this to reheat during the week, leave out the step where you add the veggies. Instead, cook these fresh when you are reheating the Dahl for your meal.

Enjoy!!

x Jessie