This daal makes a wonderful comforting meal, full of seasonal goodness with swede. It’s perfect served up with rice and a sprinkling of nuts and coriander, with a squeeze of lemon over the top.
For 4 servings take:
A drizzle of vegetable oil
1 medium-sized swede, finely diced
280g red lentils. Pour into a bowl of water and leave while preparing the rest of the ingredients
6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tin coconut milk
1 vegetable stock cube, dissolved in a litre of boiling water
1 whole red chilli, pierced
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
1 lemon
A handful of cashews, toasted
A handful of fresh coriander leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Method
Take a large frying pan with a lid and put it over a low to medium heat. Drizzle in the vegetable oil, then add your diced swede. Add some salt and pepper, then put the lid on the pan and let the swede soften and slightly brown.
Swirl the lentils round in the water with your fingers and drain them. Then add them to the pan along with the garlic, cumin seeds, ground coriander, coconut milk and vegetable stock. Stir everything around.
Add the bay leaves, chilli and cinnamon stick.
Pop the lid on the pan and let it simmer away for about 45 minutes, until all the water is absorbed. After about 25 minutes, give it a good stir every now and then to stop it sticking to the pan, and add a little water if it is getting too dry.
Taste it and add in some more spices if you like, and season with salt and pepper. Enjoy.
Caroline’s tips:
You can use carrot or butternut squash instead of the swede
For extra veggie goodness, stir some lightly chopped spinach leaves through the daal while it is still in the pan.
Add some mint and coriander chutney and mango chutney to tickle your taste buds even more.
WORDS Caroline Byrne – Caroline’s Cookery
