Khatti Meethi Dal / Sweet & Sour Lentil Curry (Vegan)
We hosted a party at ours this weekend and with more and more of my friends giving the vegan life a go, I was on the hunt for meat-free meals to feed a crowd...
The obvious choice was a big pot of curry and a traditional Indian classic - dal. This version known as 'Khatti Meethi' (which translates to 'Sour Sweet' in English) uses tamarind for the sour and sugar for the sweet as well as a mix of spices and whole chillies to impart a subtle but delicious heat. I doubled this recipe and served bhajis, rice, poppadoms and naan breads to make this go a lot further but it works just as well as family meal.
Khatti Meethi Dal / Sweet & Sour Lentil Curry (Vegan)
Serves 6
250g split pigeon peas/toor dal
1.2 litres water
½ tsp turmeric powder
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 heaped tsp nigella seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp dried chilli flakes
20 curry leaves
2 chillies, slit lengthwise
½ tsp mild chilli powder
2 tbsp sugar (demerara is ideal)
2½ tsp tamarind paste
Salt to taste
250ml water
In a heavy bottom sauce pan cook the lentils along with the water and the turmeric powder. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 50 minutes until the dal starts to get mushy. Stir well making sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat off, mash the dal with a potato masher to thicken it, cover and set aside.
Heat the oil in a heavy bottom sauce pan add the nigella seeds on a medium heat. As they begin to splutter working quickly add the cumin seeds, chilli flakes and curry leaves. Stir and add the whole chillies. Fry for few seconds then tip in the cooked lentils along with the chilli powder, sugar, tamarind paste and salt. Mix well and fry for a minute.
Add the water and simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes. Stir well. Turn the heat off and serve warm with chapattis or rice.
The obvious choice was a big pot of curry and a traditional Indian classic - dal. This version known as 'Khatti Meethi' (which translates to 'Sour Sweet' in English) uses tamarind for the sour and sugar for the sweet as well as a mix of spices and whole chillies to impart a subtle but delicious heat. I doubled this recipe and served bhajis, rice, poppadoms and naan breads to make this go a lot further but it works just as well as family meal.
Khatti Meethi Dal / Sweet & Sour Lentil Curry (Vegan)
Serves 6
250g split pigeon peas/toor dal
1.2 litres water
½ tsp turmeric powder
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 heaped tsp nigella seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp dried chilli flakes
20 curry leaves
2 chillies, slit lengthwise
½ tsp mild chilli powder
2 tbsp sugar (demerara is ideal)
2½ tsp tamarind paste
Salt to taste
250ml water
In a heavy bottom sauce pan cook the lentils along with the water and the turmeric powder. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 50 minutes until the dal starts to get mushy. Stir well making sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat off, mash the dal with a potato masher to thicken it, cover and set aside.
Heat the oil in a heavy bottom sauce pan add the nigella seeds on a medium heat. As they begin to splutter working quickly add the cumin seeds, chilli flakes and curry leaves. Stir and add the whole chillies. Fry for few seconds then tip in the cooked lentils along with the chilli powder, sugar, tamarind paste and salt. Mix well and fry for a minute.
Add the water and simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes. Stir well. Turn the heat off and serve warm with chapattis or rice.
Comments
Post a Comment