Inspired by my mother, who makes a crackingly good dahl! The turmeric in this Indian dish is high in anti-oxidants, will be anti-inflammatory in the body and is fantastic to assist the liver in its detoxification processes. Turmeric is believed to be the secret reason why Indian’s have such low rates of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease…
Turmeric may also help in fat metabolism and management of obesity.
Note: Soak the lentils overnight with bay leaves or kombu if you have trouble digesting legumes
Ingredients
- 1 tbs olive oil (or the traditional ghee if you can find it – health food stores and Indian supermarkets are good places to look).
- 1 red onion – finely chopped.
- 2 tsp turmeric.
- 2 tsp ground coriander.
- 2 cloves garlic.
- ½ tsp dried chilli flakes (optional, for a spicy dish).
- 500g red lentils.
- 900ml water.
- ½ sheet kombu – cut into strips.
- 2 celery stalks – chopped finely.
- 1 cup brown rice or wild rice. You could also use quinoa or millet… both would go nicely.
- Black pepper.
- A spoonful of coconut cream.
- Fresh coriander to garnish.
Method
Rice
- Cook rice according to the instructions on the packet. This may take anywhere between 20 minutes to 45 minutes for brown rice, and up to 60 minutes for wild rice.
Dahl
- Heat ghee/oil in a large saucepan on medium heat; add onion and sauté until translucent.
- Add turmeric, garlic, coriander and chilli flakes and sauté for a further 2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Rinse lentils and remove any that are discoloured.
- Add water, lentils, kombu and celery to the pan and bring to the boil.
- Turn down to simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.
(Kombu and Lentils should be soft, and dahl should be smooth in consistency. Add small amounts of extra water if necessary, but dahl should not be runny.) - Serve dahl on a small bed of rice,drizzled with coconut cream and sprinkled with coriander and pepper.
Serve with a green salad on the side or some steamed vegetables.