[ RECIPE ] Daal Curry

One of my favourite types of cuisine is Indian, which hasn’t always been the case. I was brought up on takeaways that were always from the Chinese and it has only been in the past 2 years that I’ve discovered just how varied and excellent this type of food actually is. Yet some people are still under the impression that a ‘curry is a curry’ – this couldn’t be further from the truth!

This Daal Curry recipe has been adapted from Jamie Oliver’s ’15 Minute Meals’ cookbook which played a great part in taking my own cooking skills to the next level. The book is full of exciting dishes, and although it may take a little longer than 15 minutes for these dishes to make (even when I attempt them) they are well worth the effort.

Possibly my favourite vegetarian curry dish, you won’t be disappointed getting stuck in to making this. Serve with Basmati Rice & Chapatis for scooping it all up!

Serves 4  |  25 Minutes

1 Onion (peeled & halved)
1 Garlic Clove (peeled)
5cm Fresh Root Ginger
1 Red Pepper (roughly chopped)
1 Red Chilli (deseeded & halved)
Handful of Coriander Stalks
Salt & Pepper

Vegetable Oil
Handful of Fresh Curry Leaves
1 teaspoon Turmeric
1 teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds
1 teaspoon Black Mustard Seeds
300g Dried Red Split Lentils
400g Tin of Coconut Milk
200g Fresh Spinach

For the Tomato Salad
400g Cherry Tomatoes (halved)
1 teaspoon Chilli Powder
1 teaspoon Black Mustard Seeds
1 Lemon
Large Pinch of Caster Sugar
2 Garlic Cloves (crushed)
Small Handful of Coriander Leaves

 

Add the first set of ingredients into a food processor (with the bowl blade) and blitz until smooth. 

Heat a large casserole pan over a high heat and add a tablespoon of the oil, along with the curry leaves, turmeric, fenugreek seeds and the mustard seeds, mix these ingredients well. 

Add the contents of the food processor to the casserole dish and fry for a few minutes, then add the lentils, along with 700ml boiling water and the coconut milk also. Bring to the boil by placing the lid on the casserole dish, and once boiling, continue to stir well with the lid removed. 

Meanwhile make the tomato salad. Halve the lemon, finely slice the flesh of one half and set aside the other half for now. Place a medium-sized pan on a medium heat and add the chilli powder, chopped lemon and mustard seeds with a little oil and fry for a few minutes. Add the crushed garlic, sugar and squeeze the remaining lemon half into the pan. Add the tomatoes and fry for 1 minute. Finally add the coriander and season to taste.

Before serving, combine the spinach through the curry and adjust the seasoning if required. Finally, heat the chapatis according to packet instructions (usually in the microwave for 30 seconds).