Red lentil dhal
A satisfying, warming, and healthy meal.
If you are not vegetarian, you may not be familiar with cooking lentils and beans. However i really encourage you to explore including new and unfamiliar dishes as well as trying a new food each week to break your routine. You may be pleasantly surprised how flavoursome and satisfying these dishes can be.
Dhal is an indian staple made from split pulses. It is cheap, extremely heathy and high in protein. Pulses are the best foods for balancing blood sugar as they contain a substance that slows the release of glucose in the blood right down and therefore benefiting your long term weight loss. You can substitute the red lentils in this recipe for chickpeas, mung beans, green lentils or split peas. Just remember to soak the pulses overnight to reduce cooking time and reduce the anti nutrients which makes the present nutrients more available to you.
Ingredients
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
3 Cardomom pods
1/4 tsp black pepper corns
1/4 tsp chilli
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 clover garlic
1 tsp tumeric powder or freshly grated root 1 tsp sea salt
1 1/4 cups red lentils
3 tomatoes
3 celery stalks
2 Handfuls spinach
1 Tbs coconut oil/olive oil
8 cups water
Method
- Grind coriander, fennel, cumin, black peppercorns in pestle and mortor and set aside.
- Warm up the coconut oil in a medium sized pan and then and then add the ginger and celery and saute for around 5 minutes. Add the rest of the spices, turmeric, garlic, chilli and salt and stir for another minute.
- Add the lentils, tomatoes and water. Bring to the boil and then lower the heat and simmer for up to 30 minutes. Add the spinach in the last 5 minutes so that it becomes soft but still retains its fresh green colour.
- Squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the dhal with some freshly chopped coriander. Enjoy the Dhal on its own or with a small portion of brown rice.