Lentils or Dhal (Dhall, Dal)
Lentils or Dhal (also Dhall or Dal) form an essential part of the cuisine of India and Sri Lanka and are a key source of protein for many vegetarians.
There are many types of lentils utilized in the cuisine of the sub-continent, but as it is not typical for these to be sold loose nowadays, I tend to stock just a few favourites which I use often.
This ensures the larder is not chock full of a range of lentils which I then struggle to finish – one of the hazards of cooking for two and the smaller quantities utilized as a result.
My Selection of Lentils
Chickpeas; Garbanzo Beans; Kondakkadalai
Commonly used in Indian cuisine, chickpeas also find their way into Western Soups and Braises which I cook quite frequently.
I use dried chickpeas, which I either soak in advance if I remember and plan ahead, or just cook for longer if I forget to soak.
Yellow Lentils; Tur Dhal; Tuvaram Paruppu
If you are a aficionado of Banana Leaf Cuisine (Ceylonese or South Indian Cuisine), you will probably have eaten sambar, that quintessential dish.
Sold split into halves, Yellow Lentils or Tur Dhal cook easily and do not require soaking.
Mung Beans; Mung Dhal; Patchai Payaru
I buy the split mung beans which are small flat and yellow. No soaking required and they cook fairly quickly.
Lentils and Digestion
Lentils give some people gas, though the more often you eat them the less you will have this problem.
In Indian cuisine there is an easy solution – incorporate a little asafoetida powder into the dish. This aids the digestion and helps avoid the feeling of bloating.
Spinach with Lentils (Mung Dhal)
This week’s featured recipe, Spinach with Lentils (Dhal) is a South Indian Dish suitable for Vegetarians and indeed one of my favourites.
It is a pretty straightforward recipe, though I must say that I tend to use more spinach than most recipes call for. It is a personal preference, we like spinach and having that extra quantity does enrich the flavour of the dish. Note that I only use the leaves, though some will say use baby spinach, stems and all.
I stipulated 4 tbsp mung dhal, by all means use 5 if you want a slightly larger dish.
Like all Indian Dishes with a long list of ingredients, it helps to practice mise-en-place and so I have laid out the recipe in a way that helps you to do so. Measure out the ingredients for each group into small bowls and it will greatly simplify the cooking process.
I will be sharing more recipes for Lentils in future; in the meantime do enjoy this South Indian Dhal.
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