Tarka dhal recipe

With a dash to Waitrose...

Aug 03, 2024

[Note: there is a link to a basic version of this post, with just the recipe, at the bottom of the page. Hopefully that should be more useful for printing out and following when cooking.]

My orchestra friend S asked me for my tarka dhal recipe, and, since I was looking for some shorter, easier (and frankly less traumatising all round) posts to write, I jumped at the chance to turn a comfort food recipe into a Substack post.

First of all, I need to say that I don’t consider this my recipe at all! I view it as a mash up version of these two recipes. All the credit needs to go to Aasmah Mir and Nisha Katona. Here is Aasmah’s recipe:

And here is Nisha’s:

Do watch these videos, because, unlike me, these women know what they are doing! Plus, I adapted these recipes to my taste, but your taste may be different, and so you could adapt them to your preferences.

Having said all that, here is my version!

This is a delicious, and very easy, recipe for a wet, miserable day. I made this on St Swithun’s Day (15th July) 2024, which was more like a miserable November day in the south of England. So, if the (very local to me) legend is correct, it will still be raining when this post goes out. [Edited to add (02/08/2024): St Swithun’s Day is a swizz!]

A miserable St Swithun’s Day in Southampton (very close to Winchester)

Makes: a shit ton. Unless you are cooking for a large family, you’re probably going to need to freeze some. Roughly six servings, I would say. More if you are eating it with rice.

Preparation time: depends on whether you have to dash to the shops in the middle of cooking. If you have all the ingredients, 10 minutes max I reckon.

Cooking time: 45 minutes to an hour.

Ingredients:

(I use a vintage cup to measure out the lentils and water. I call it ‘the rice cup’. It is a Paragon China coffee cup with a Cherwell pattern. If you don’t own this cup, and cannot acquire one, then it might help you to know that it measures 200ml (link for the Americans).

(And watch Aasmah’s video for an explanation of my use of two different types of lentils. I like the mix of mush and bite; you might prefer one or the other…)

1 cup red lentils (for the mushiness)

1 cup channa dhal (for a bit of bite)

6 cups water

1 tin chopped tomatoes

Garlic (1/2 a bulb. Yes, that’s bulb, not clove), chopped. Tbh, I used a jar of ready chopped and just chucked in a couple of teaspoons…

Ginger (a couple of inches), chopped. I’m sure you could use ready chopped for this too. Ideally you won’t have to dash to Waitrose in the middle of cooking.

Spices (I like hot, spicy food and this is the right amount of spice for me; if you prefer your food not as hot, or you are cautious, maybe cut the amounts in half? I’ve never tried that though, so I don’t make any guarantees about the results. To be fair, I am not offering any guarantees on this recipe anyway!):

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp cumin powder

2 tsp coriander powder

2 tsp chilli powder

2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp salt

Additional (optional) ingredients: fresh coriander; lemon juice/zest; sliced, fried onions

Method:

You should probably wash the lentils. I didn’t.
Put everything in a huge saucepan. I used a stock pan, but a big saucepan would be fine. Probably.
Bring it to the boil.
Turn it down to a simmer.
Simmer for 45 minutes (I stirred it a few times; that probably isn’t necessary).
If you have ADHD, don’t forget you are cooking and leave the house for a few hours. (I’ve never, ever done this. Ever. Honest.)
Depending on whether you want your dhal to be thick or more soupy, either simmer some more or you can stop and eat it! After 45 minutes simmering, mine looked like the picture above… I tend to eat it on its own for lunch, but you can serve it with rice for a more substantial meal.
Top with fresh coriander, if you don’t have a sensitivity to aldehydes (i.e. as long as coriander doesn’t taste like soap to you). Or add a squeeze of lemon. Or some sliced, fried onions. (I’ll admit that I have only ever done coriander.)

So, that’s it. Easy and healthy! And warm and comforting and tasty. I really struggle to cook, but this is mostly do-able for me (when I have the motivation to cook and the ingredients). Luckily most of the ingredients are shelf stable (especially if you use jars of ready-chopped garlic and ginger), so it is good for people with executive dysfunction.

I am including a link to a basic version of this post, without photos, links or silly comments. You should be able to access that here.

No more nonsense - just the recipe!

Comment below and let me know if you are planning to give this recipe a go. I’d love to see photos, if you do!

Tarka dhal recipe

With a dash to Waitrose...

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