Tarka Dal

I can’t take any credit for this recipe. It comes from one of my most wonderful friends ( and an incredible chef herself), Melanie Hadida (https://www.melaniehadidanutrition.com) . I used to make dal quite often when living in the UK, it was cheap, easy and quick. This version is SO delicious, Mel makes a tomatoey tarka that gets stirred into the dal at the end. I’ve pumped my version up with some roasted eggplant and crispy kale, but you don’t need to add anything to this dish, its outstanding as is.

Dal is a simple dish made from split peas or lentils. It’s incredible comforting, healthy and nutritious. Tarka is the final step to any dal, where you fry up a blend of spices, amongst other ingredients, and then fold it into the pulses.

Tarka Dahl

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

1 cup split yellow peas or red lentils, rinsed well*

1 heaping teaspoon of ground turmeric

1 Tbsp coconut oil or vegetable oil

1 Tsp each of coriander seed, cumin seed, fennel seed, Black mustard seed

1 small red onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro stems

1 vine tomato, chopped (about 1 cup)

Handful of cilantro leaves, to garnish

Limes, to garnish

Method

1. It is very important to rinse your peas or lentils well with water. Place them into a bowl and fill with water. Rinse through a sieve, repeat this 4x until water runs clear.

2. Place peas or lentils into a pot and cover with 4 1/2 cups of water. Add the turmeric and a teaspoon of kosher salt and bring to the boil. reduce to a simmer and cook until they have broken down and the mixture is soft, stirring occasionally. Top up with water if needed.

3. Melt the coconut oil in a pan, add the spices and toast them, about 2 minutes until fragrant.

4. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, cilantro and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato and cook a further 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (this is your "tarka")

5. when the dal is done (they should be soft, not too mushy but not firm), stir through the tarka mixture and season to taste. Divide between bowls and top with fresh cilantro and roasted veggies.

*Split peas will cook in about 1 hour, whereas red lentils will only take 30 minutes.

Spice Rubbed Eggplant

1 eggplant, halved and sliced into half moons

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tsp ground cumin

Salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the eggplant with oil, cumin, salt and pepper. Tip onto the tray and roast for 30-40 minutes until soft and golden.

Crispy Kale

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 large handfuls of kale, ribs removed and thinly sliced

Salt and pepper

1. In the same pan as your tarka, heat the oil. Add the kale and season with salt and pepper.

2. Fry over high heat until crispy.