Winter means comfort food and an increased need to support your immune system. So in our house I like to make sure our freezer is stocked with nourishing soups and stews instead of processed convenience foods.
This Dahl is absolutely loaded with flavour and super satisfying.
NB: Flavour intensity for your spices will vary according to their age, brand, country of origin and quality etc., so you will need to experiment with quantities, though I do tend to prefer ginger and cumin as the dominant flavours.
Ingredients
- 3 cups red lentils, soaked for several hours.
- 6-8 cups water
- 2 large tomatoes, diced
- 1 brown onion, diced
- 1/4 pumpkin, cubed (optional)
- 2-3 tablespoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon turmeric
- 2 tablespoons ginger powder
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1 small knob fresh ginger, grated
- 5 fresh chills, finely chopped
- 6 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1/2 bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
- 6 bay leaves
- 6 curry leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
- Butter for frying
Method
- Cook the lentils until soft, then remove from heat. Add more water during the cooking process if required.
- Melt butter in a pan on medium heat and add all the spices. Add the tomato and onion and stir. Cook until onions are translucent and then add to the lentils.
- In the same pan, fry the pumpkin on a low heat until cooked through. Once cooked, remove from heat and mash well with a fork before adding to the lentil mix.
- Stir until well combined, then serve.
Peace, love and health,
Mandah xo