I hesitated to do a dhal recipe for the blog for a little while, because while this well known Indian staple tastes magical, it’s really hard to convey this in photographs and it so happens that visuals are my main way to communicate to you that a recipe is worth bothering with.
You can make dhal with pretty much any type of lentils you want, but I chose to use split red lentils as they do not require presoaking and cook really quickly, which is a massive bonus as far as a mid-week dinner is concerned. If you are worried that doing away with a presoak won’t get rid of phytic acid, let me remind you of Dr. Greger’s video (which I already mentioned in my post on amaranth), where he explains that combining phytic acid rich foods with onion and garlic neutralises its negative side-effects. So this puppy is quick to make, really filling, chock-a-block full of plant protein and very versatile, so feel free to adjust the spicing or the selection of spices to your own liking. It tastes even better the day after it has been made, it re-heats well (just add a good splash of water) and freezes well so it’s one of those emergency dishes that is good to batch cook and stick into your freezer for the busy days ahead.
1 tsp black mustard seeds 10 dried curry leaves 1 red chilli, finely sliced (optional)
