Yasmin’s Tarka Dal
By Yasmin Javaid, Health Care Assistant at Rochdale Dialysis Unit.
This recipe for Tarka Dal comes courtesy of Yasmin Javaid who works on the dialysis unit at Rochdale. Lentils are cheap, delicious and a good source of protein. This healthy recipe is full of flavour and makes a comforting vegetarian dish.
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
2 cups (300g) Red split lentils
1 medium chopped onion
1 chopped tomato
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp chilli powder (optional)
Pinch of salt
2-3 cloves of fresh garlic
Thumbnail size piece of ginger chopped or crushed
1 tbsp olive oil or olive oil spray
1 whole green chilli (optional)
Method
- First soak lentils in water for 30 minutes.
- In a pan cover lentils with 2 cups of water and bring to the boil. Add your spices – garam masala, turmeric, chilli powder and a pinch of salt. Add your chopped tomato and the green chilli and let this boil until the Dal is soft. Add more water if required and let it cook on a lower heat for about 30 minutes.
- In a separate pan fry your onions, garlic, ginger and cumin seeds until soft golden brown. Now add this to the Dhaal and let it cook for another 20 to 30 minutes to let all the flavours mix together.
Serve with boiled rice and a portion of fresh salad.