The Tarka Dhal is one of the classic Indian dishes and ideal for vegans too. The use of moong dal as opposed to other types of lentils makes this an exceptional dish. It can of course be made with red lentils naturally and a direct swap is perfectly feasible. The vegan version does not use ghee (clarified butter) which would be the proper approach to the dish. If it needs to be vegan then use vegetable oil – I prefer it anyway because of the heart health aspects surrounding the use of too much ghee in dishes.
Serves 3-4
Preparation time: 10 – 15 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 250g mung beans (moong dal) or red lentils, washed & drained
- 1.2 litres water
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil – sunflower oil is preferable
- (1tsp) pinch of asafoetida (optional)
- 1 medium white onion, finely chopped
- ¾ – 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 green chillies slit lengthwise (optional – depends on the amount of heat needed)
- 1 heaped tsp cumin seeds
- 10-12 curry leaves
- ½ tsp garam masala (optional)
- 4 cloves of garlic sliced or roughly crushed
- 1-2 tomatoes roughly chopped
- Salt to taste
- pinch of sugar
- juice of half a lemon
- (1 tbsp) chopped coriander for garnish
Preparation:
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In a medium sauce pan on a high heat add the lentils, water and turmeric powder. Stir and bring to a boil.
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Turn the heat to medium, partially cover with lid and cook for 35-40 minutes or until the lentils are tender. M ake sure to stir a few times through the cooking process so it doesn’t stick together. Add a little more water if the mix is too thick. Cool slightly and roughly mash with a hand blender or potato masher and set aside.
-
In a heavy bottom sauce pan heat the oil over medium heat, add the green chillies, asafoetida, garam masala and cumin seeds and fry for a few seconds. Then add the curry leaves and garlic continue to fry for 5 seconds.
- Add the tomatoes and fry for 5 minutes.
- At this stage, tip in the cooked dal and stir well. Season to taste, add a pinch of sugar, simmer gently for 2-3 minutes on a low heat stirring halfway through. T
- Turn the heat off and add lemon juice and garnish with coriander. Serve hot with naan bread or plain rice. A green salad would also help.
Made this for the first time. Superglad I found this on the web site. Really easy to put the dish together and I loved the flavor! Glad you didn’t have loads of adverts messing up the site.