Cardamom & Coconut Dahl Recipe

08 Mar Cardamom & Coconut Dahl Recipe

Posted at 13:56h in Blog by
After a couple of requests over on Instagram, we thought we’d share this recipe with you which was available on the counters early last week as part of our fresh lunches. If you recreate this dish at home, please share the results with us!

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds
  • 2 teaspoons of coriander seeds
  • 2 black cardamom pods
  • Seeds from 7 green cardamom pods
  • 2 teaspoons of fennel seeds
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 5 fat garlic cloves, crushed
  • 7.5-10cm of fresh turmeric, finely grated, or 1 heaped teaspoon of ground turmeric powder
  • 500g of red lentils
  • 50g of desiccated coconut
  • 400ml can of organic coconut milk
  • 50g of coconut oil
  • Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

To serve:

  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • ½ small bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons nigella seeds

 

Method:

  1. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat
  2. Add the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, black cardamom pods, green cardamom seeds and the fennel seeds, and dry-toast for about 2 minutes shaking the pan until they release their aroma and begin to brown a little, taking care to not let them burn.
  3. Set aside the black cardamom pods, then crush the remaining toasted spices using a pestle and mortar.
  4. Return the crushed spices to the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the ghee or oil to the spices, then add the onions and fry for about 6 minutes.
  5. Add the garlic and fry for 1 minute, stirring to ensure it does not burn.
  6. Add the grated turmeric (or ground turmeric powder) and fry for 1-2 minutes, or until the onions are soft.
  7. Add the lentils and desiccated coconut to the saucepan (and a little more ghee or oil, if the pan looks dry). Stir well, ensuring they are coated in the onion, spice and ghee mixture.
  8. Cook, stirring for 1-2 minutes, then pour in the coconut milk and add the toasted black cardamom pods.
  9. Top up with enough water to completely cover the contents of the pan. Season well with salt and pepper.
  10. Bring to the boil, then cover the pan with a lid, reduce the heat low and simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Check the liquid level from time to time – if the liquid level seems too high, increase the heat level and remove the pan lid to reduce the liquid volume in the pan.
  11. Just before serving, discard the black cardamom pods then stir in the coconut oil.

Serve garnished with the tomatoes, red onion, fresh coriander and a sprinkling of nigella seeds. Try it and share your thoughts on social media!