Beetroot & ginger dhal
Satisfying, humble, nutritious, and batch-cookable… this beetroot & ginger dhal is the one. It’ll serve you well for a few days in a row or it can be portioned and frozen perfectly.
Flavour hacks?
What’s more, with flavour hacks on the shelf this dhal can be reinvented time and time again. Some days we love it simply drizzled with olive oil and mopped up with whole grain flat bread… Some days we’ll pimp it out with plenty of dukkah and a good spoon of sauerkraut on the side; kraut may sound a strange addition but that acidic, savoury tang is akin to a brightening squeeze of lemon, and it’s chilled crunch provides a wonderful contrasting texture - we promise! And one days where we have a little more time, Katy whips up a bhaji and coriander sauce and we sprinkle over some sweet & salty curried seeds too which transforms a humble bowlful into a very special dish indeed - recipe coming soon!
We urge all self-identifying beetroot loathers to give this a go… the beetroot takes a back seat here, it adds subtle earthy depth and a beautifully thick texture to the dhal without overpowering the flavour, as our beetroot-loathing brother-in-law will attest. We’ve cooked this for him a few whilst locked-down together in 2020 and he loved it!
We’d like to share a big BIG thank you to Rebecca Ley for her kind feedback on this recipe. Rebecca has blogged about the transformative power of properly cooking ones onions here - it’s well worth a read!
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 45 mins-1 hr (+1 hr soaking time)
This recipes serves 4-6 people.
Ingredients :
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 red chilli, or 1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
2 thumbs of ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 ½ teaspoons curry powder
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground fenugreek, optional
240g split red lentils
1 teaspoon flakey sea salt
500ml veg stock
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin coconut milk
250-300 g cooked beetroot (1 vac-packed bag)
To serve (all optional):
Fresh coriander
1 lime or lemon
Sauerkraut (plain or turmeric)
Flatbreads or whole grain rice
Method:
Soak the lentils in cold water for 1 hour.
Finely dice the onion, finely chop the celery, crush or mince the garlic, finely chop the chilli, and finely grate the ginger.
Gently toast the dry spices in a small, dry frying pan, just for 2 minutes on a low/medium heat until you can smell their beautiful aroma. Once toasted tip these out of the frying pan and onto a little saucer or similar immediately to prevent them burning in the residual heat and turning bitter.
Gently heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan or casserole dish. Sauté the onions and celery for a full 8 minutes before adding the garlic, chilli and ginger. Continue for a further 4 minutes until everything is fully soft and lightly golden. Softening your onions slowly and fully is the very foundation of flavour!
Add the toasted spices to the saucepan.
Drain the lentils and rinse well under running water. Add these to the saucepan, followed by the salt, vegetable stock or water, chopped tomatoes and coconut milk.
Have the lid ‘half on half off’, and simmer gently for 45 mins, until your dhal is fully soft and thick; most of the liquid content will be absorbed by the lentils. Stir often to make sure the base doesn’t catch.
Once fully cooked, remove two ladlefuls of dhal and tip these into a jug blender. Add the cooked beetroot to the blender and whizz this on a high power until velvety and smooth. Now tip this back into the base of the dhal and mix well. This should further enhance the texture into something truly luxurious and comforting. The sweet, earthy note of beetroot is such a happy combination with the warming ginger.
Serve in warmed bowls, with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of dukkah, and a fresh squeeze of lemon or lime. A sprinkle of chopped coriander is a very pretty final flourish.
Dhal will last in a Tupperware in the fridge for 5 days (reheat thoroughly) and will happily freeze for 4 months.
Up for another dhal-icious recipe?? Try our simple-but-sublime dhal here , and our chip shop curry dhal and eggs here . They’re both one-pot-wonders, very hands-off, and utterly delicious!