Dhal – Lentil Curry from Sri Lanka

Some of you have probably noticed that Andi recently traveled to Sri Lanka with his backpack. He not only had delicious vegan food for 3 weeks, but also did a really good cooking class. This forms the base of the Sri Lankan recipes, which you will encounter more and more often in the next few weeks. First we present the lentil curry dhal. Dhal is the main source of protein for many residents of Sri Lanka (and India) and is served with almost every meal. So you eat it in the morning, at noon and in the evening.

Dhal is very quickly prepared. The fast-boiling red lentils are used, which are actually more of an orange hue. But never mind. In addition to the lentils, all you really need is a few spices. You will definitely have some of them at home anyway. Experience has shown that fresh curry leaves are very difficult to get in Germany. In larger Asia or India shops you can often find bags with dried curry leaves. They also give off a decent aroma when cooking. The curry leaves can also be omitted if necessary. All the other ingredients should be easy to find even in the countryside or in smaller towns.

Before we continue with the recipe, a matter of our hearts: If you want to go to Sri Lanka despite or precisely because of the recipe or if you get on a plane for other reasons, please think of a CO2 offsetting of your flight. It can be done easily for example via atmosfair and offsets for the negative consequences (at least partly) with climate protection projects elsewhere. It is still best not to fly at all, but any flight with offsetting is better than one without. Thank you! <3

DHAL – LENTIL CURRY FROM SRI LANKA

Ingredients for 4 servings (about  0,80 Euros each):

DHAL

• 200 g red lentils
• 500 ml water
• 100 ml coconut milk
• 1 small stick of cinnamon
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt

SPICE OIL

• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1 green chili
• 1 red chili, dried
• 10 curry leaves
• 3 tbsp coconut oil, alternatively: vegetable oil

Preparation
1. Wash the lentils. Place in a saucepan with the remaining dhal ingredients and bring to a boil at medium to high temperature. Switch the temperature down a little and let it simmer for about 15 minutes with the lid closed.

2. In the meantime, finely chop the garlic, onion and fresh chilli. Fry all the ingredients of the spice oil in a small pan at medium temperature for a few minutes. If they slowly begin to take colour, add to the dhal and mix everything well.

3. Let simmer for another minute. Serve with rice or bread and other side dishes such as coconut sambal or kale mallung.