This comforting dal is quick and easy to make and cooks beautifully by itself in the oven. If you’re like me and tend to have some fresh ginger in the fridge, canned tomatoes in the cupboard, and have a few basic spices then it’s a real storecupboard supper. I like it with a scattering of extra chilli/red pepper flakes and a slick of yogurt, but if you prefer to make it dairy-free, then some fruity chutney makes a great match too.
Ingredients
- 1 onion, sliced
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 60 g/2¼ oz. fresh ginger
- 1 tsp dried chilli/red pepper flakes (or to taste)
- 1 tsp caster/granulated sugar
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1¾ cups (300 g) dried red lentils, rinsed
- generous 3¼ cups (800 ml) water
- 14-oz (1 x 400-g) can chopped tomatoes
- sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
- extra chilli/red pepper flakes, natural/plain yogurt, and/or chutney, to serve
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 190˚C (375˚F) Gas 5. Scatter the onion over the base of a deep sheet pan. Drizzle the olive oil over and stir in the cumin, coriander and turmeric. Transfer to the oven and cook for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, peel the ginger and cut it into julienne. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and stir in the ginger julienne, the chilli/red pepper flakes, sugar and chopped garlic. Stir in the red lentils, water and canned tomatoes.
- Cover the sheet pan with foil, and cook for about 30–35 minutes, until the lentils are soft and the dal has a nice creamy texture (you may have to add a little more water if it seems to be getting a little too dry).
- Season with salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, and serve with extra chilli/red pepper flakes and yogurt or chutney (or both!).
