A little delay and a recipe for dahl

So I've had a couple weeks to do the next chapter of Mountains and Valleys and in typical ADHD fashion I planned it and then spent the entire time procrastinating actually writing it. Now, I could do the last couple thousand words tonight but instead of putting that evil on myself, please accept this post as an explanation if you were looking forward to it. I'll have it up this weekend. I know I also promised a blog post too but I wanted to put a bit more time into that as well because I feel like its worth really exploring the subject of it.

If that's not enough for you sick freaks, here's a recipe for a creamy red lentil dahl without all the pre-amble. It's a meal I cook often, it's delicious, and it has some real zing. As an added bonus, it takes just 30-40 minutes to make and can be scaled to the size of your pot/party.

Gather:

  • 1 Large white onion
  • 5 tsp Cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp Fenugreek seeds
  • 1 tsp Fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp Black mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp Corriander seeds
  • 2 tsp whole cloves
  • 5 cardamom pods, crushed open, not emptied
  • 1-3 Tsp Chilli powder (to your spice tolerance)
  • 3 Tbsp Curry Powder (I use hot but if you don't like your spice, mild will suit)
  • 2 Star anise pods
  • Stick of cinnamon
  • 2 Bay leaves
  • 500 g Red lentils
  • 1.25 L Water
  • 2 Veggie stock cubes
  • 1 Can coconut milk
  • Salt to taste

Preparation:

  1. Slice the top of the onion, then split it in half from the top to the root. Peel each half, discarding the skins to be used in compost. Slice it thinly, set aside.
  2. Set a large pot on low heat, do not oil it. In a small bowl or ramekin mix the cumin, fenugreek, fennel, corriander, whole cloves, and cardamom pods.
  3. When you can feel heat from the bottom of the pot without touching your hand to the base, add the mixture in. After a minute the spices should begin to smell fragrant.
  4. Pour a large dollop of oil into the pot, add in the onions. With a wooden spoon, stir until the onion is coated in the spices and oil.
  5. Turn the heat to high, cook for about five minutes until the onion gains some colour and gives a sweet aroma. Toss in the curry powder and chilli powder and toss the onions with the spoon to coat them as much as possible.
  6. Turn the heat to medium-high, cook for a further few minutes. Add in the red lentils, toss with the spoon to coat them. Then, pour in the water (pre-boiled in an electric kettle to save you time) and mix in the stock cubes until they're dissolved. Add the stick of cinnamon, star anise, and bay leaves. Scrape any stray lentils off the sides and send them to reach their full potential in the water.
  7. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid the lentils sticking to the bottom of the pot. As the lentils cook they expand, taking on water and softening. When you can bite into a small spoonful of them with very little crunch, pour in the can of coconut milk and stir until it's incorporated.
  8. Cook for a further 5 minutes on medium-high, stirring constantly. Then, take the pot off the heat and add salt to taste.
  9. Serve garnished with a dollop of thick yoghurt and a teeny sprig of coriander on top. Any leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up to a week or frozen for up to a month and then thawed like some kind of cryogenically preserved caveman.
  10. Enjoy!
Location: London, UK

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