Carrot and coconut dhal
Somewhere between soup and curry, this lentil and carrot dhal is Indian-style comfort food at its best
- SERVES
4 - PREP
20 minutes - COOK
35 minutes
Ingredients
- Low-calorie cooking spray
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 large carrots, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
- 3cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
- ½ tbsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 225g dried red lentils, rinsed and drained
- 1 litre hot vegetable stock
- 100g dried white basmati rice
- 200g reduced-fat coconut milk
- Handful of fresh coriander, chopped, plus a few sprigs
Method
-
Spray a large non-stick saucepan with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a low heat. Add the onion, carrots, garlic, chilli flakes, ginger and 4 tbsp water. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
-
Uncover the pan, add the turmeric and ground coriander and cook for 1 minute. Add the lentils and stock and bring to a simmer, then cover again and cook for 20 minutes.
-
Meanwhile, drop the rice into a pan of boiling water and bring back to the boil. Stir once and leave to simmer for 10-12 minutes or until the rice is tender. Drain well.
-
Slide the pan of dhal off the heat and stir in the coconut milk. Pour half of the dhal into a food processor or liquidiser, blitz well and return it to the pan. Season to taste, reheat gently and stir in half of the coriander.
-
Divide the dhal between 4 deep bowls. Pile up the cooked rice in the centre and sprinkle with the remaining coriander and the sprigs to serve.
