Sri Lankan Dhal Curry

Method

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1. Rinse the lentils until the water runs clear.

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2. Simmer them with the water, turmeric, pandan and cinnamon for 18 minutes, until collapsed and soft.

   Mark done Start 18 min timer

3. Stir in the salt and the coconut milk and warm through for 3 minutes without letting it boil hard.

   Mark done Start 3 min timer

4. Fish out the pandan and cinnamon.

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5. Heat the coconut oil in a small pan and pop the mustard seeds for 30 seconds.

   Mark done Start 30 sec timer

6. Add the cumin seeds, curry leaves and dried chillies and fry 15 seconds.

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7. Add the onion and garlic and fry 4 minutes, until the onion is golden at the edges.

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8. Stir in the tempering salt.

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9. Pour the whole tempering over the dhal and do not stir it in.

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10. Bring it to the table with the tempering still sitting on the surface.

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Chef’s Tips

• Temper last and pour it over.
• Coconut milk warmed, never boiled.
• A pandan leaf if you can get one — it is the Sri Lankan note.

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 red chillies in the list implies, since dried chilli is more concentrated, and add more to taste.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.

Pairing Suggestions

• Steamed rice
• Pol sambol
• Papadums

Storage & Reheating

Keeps 3 days refrigerated. It thickens; loosen with water and re-temper.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

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