Coconut Dal

Method

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1. Put the lentils, water, turmeric, onion, garlic, ginger, green chilli, cinnamon and cardamom in a pan and bring to a boil.

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2. Skim off any foam, drop to a simmer, and cook part-covered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils have collapsed.

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3. Add the coconut milk and salt and simmer 8 minutes more, until thick and creamy. Fish out the cinnamon stick.

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4. For the tempering, heat the coconut oil in a small pan over medium-high heat until shimmering.

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5. Add the mustard seeds and wait — they will start popping within 20 seconds. When the popping slows, add the cumin seeds, curry leaves and dried chillies. Stand back; the curry leaves spit.

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6. Add the shallots and fry 2 to 3 minutes until golden and crisp at the edges.

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7. Stir the lime juice into the dal and taste for salt.

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8. Pour the whole sizzling tempering over the dal at the table, scatter with coriander, and stir it through as you serve.

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Chef’s Tips

• Rinse the lentils until the water runs clear or the dal turns cloudy and tastes dusty.
• Wait for the mustard seeds to pop. Added to warm oil they stay bitter.
• Fresh curry leaves, not dried — dried ones have almost nothing left.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• For a non-vegan version, double cream can generally stand in for the coconut milk; going the other way, a plant-based cream sold for cooking is the closer match to dairy than tinned coconut milk on its own.
• A pinch of dried chilli flakes works in place of fresh chilli — start with about a third of the quantity the green chilli in the list implies, since dried chilli is more concentrated, and add more to taste.
• Lemon is the everyday swap for lime in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.

Pairing Suggestions

• Rice or roti
• A coconut sambol
• A cold lager

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerated for 4 days. It thickens considerably; loosen with water. Make the tempering fresh.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.