Lentil Curry (Dhal)

Malaysian Hawker Favourites (ISBN 0-7946-0425-0)

Lentil Curry (Dhal)

Ingredients:

100 g split chickpeas (channa dhal, see note below), washed
1000 ml water
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 onion, diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and cubed
1 small round eggplant, cubed
1 ripe tomato, cut into wedges
2 green finger-length chillies, cut into short lengths
1 heaped teaspoon tamarind pulp
125 ml warm water
100 ml thin coconut milk or plain milk
salt to taste
3 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds (see note below)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 sprig curry leaves
1 dried red chilli, cut into short lengths
3 shallots, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, thin sliced



Method:

Rinse and discard any grit from the lentils. Place them in a pan with the water and turmeric, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the onion, carrot, eggplant and tomato, and cook for 15 minutes until the vegetables are almost tender. Add the green chillies and cook for 5 minutes.

Mash the tamarind pulp in the warm water, squeeze and strain to obtain the juice. Add the tamarind juice, coconut milk and salt, and cook for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, and stir-fry the mustard and cumin seeds for 30 seconds until the mustard seeds pop. Add the curry leaves, dried chillies, shallots and garlic, and stir-fry until the shallots and garlic turn golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Pour this mixture into the pan with the chickpeas and stir to mix well. Cover, and remove from heat. Serve hot with roti prata (roti canai).

Note:
Split chickpeas (channa dhal), resembles yellow split peas, which can be used as a substitute, but are smaller.
Black mustard seeds are small, round seeds that impart an almost nutty flavour to dishes. Do not substitute yellow mustard seeds as the flavour is different.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes