Tarka Dhal (Spiced Lentils)

Golden Avatar…

My second introduction to Indian cuisine was during my college years through Hare Krishna restaurant the “Golden Avatar” where you could eat your fill of delicious Indian vegetarian food for only £2. I often cycled to Trinity on my lunch break to attend cookery demonstrations given by the Hare Krishna where we would cram into an oak panelled room in the inner sanctum of Trinity & watch mesmerised as dishes of dhal & sabji were prepared on a small primus camping stove – looking back I am not sure “health & safety” at Trinity would approve of the open flame… JJ

Ingredients & Costing…
Red Split Lentils x 200gm	0.35
Spanish Onion x 1 finely diced	0.10
Fat Clove of Garlic x 2 crushed	0.05
Dried Chilli Flakes x ½ tsp	0.05
Ground Cumin x 1 tsp	0.05
Turmeric x 1 tsp	0.05
Butter x 25gm (unsalted)	0.20
Maldon Sea Salt	0.05
Freshly Ground Black Pepper	0.05
4 Hearty Portions	€0.90

It Couldn’t be easier…

æ      Rinse the red split lentils in a sieve to remove any starch, place in a saucepan together with the cumin, turmeric & water. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat & simmer uncovered for 8-10 minutes stirring frequently

æ      Cover the pan & continue to simmer for approx 30 minutes, the consistency should be quite loose, season well with salt & freshly ground black pepper

æ      Meanwhile melt the butter in a heavy based pan over a medium heat & fry the onions, garlic & chillies until the onions are golden brown

æ      Stir half the onion mixture into the dhal, transfer to a warm serving dish & serve garnished with the remainder of the onion mixture & naan bread

Nepal Dhal…

I was talking with a girl recently who had learnt to kayak in Nepal over the course of a four day river trip. She described how each evening their porter would prepare two meals a “western” dish for the clients and “dhal” for themselves, on the odd occasion when pressed for time the porters shared the “western” dish the following day they would noticeably miss the slow release energy provided by the dhal… JJ