Wintery and warming, this dhal is ideal for those on Step 2 who fancy a bit of spice in their lives to help fight back the frost. The best thing about this dish is that it freezes and reheats well, so save yourself a portion for tomorrow or next week! Yum!
Serves: 2 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 30-35 minutes Calories: 200kcals Steps: Step 2
Ingredients
Spray oil 1 shallot or ¼ onion, sliced 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 tsp grated fresh root ginger 1 red chilli, seeded and diced 1 tsp ground turmeric 1 tsp garam masala 100g split red lentils (dry weight) 200ml Cambridge Weight Plan Golden Vegetable Drink or vegetable stock 2 ripe small tomatoes, roughly chopped Juice of 1 lime A handful of coriander, chopped
Winter vegetables
80g fennel, peeled and cut into wedges 1 small red onion, cut into wedges 1 tsp cumin seeds 4 sage leaves, thinly sliced Spray oil Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6.
2. Arrange the fennel with the red onion in a roasting pan. Sprinkle with the cumin seeds and sage. Spray lightly with oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Roast in the oven for 25–30 minutes, turning the vegetables once or twice, until tender.
4. While the vegetables are cooking, spray a saucepan lightly with oil and cook the shallot or onion, garlic, ginger and chilli over a medium heat for 2 minutes without colouring.
5. Stir in the spices and cook for 1 minute, then add the lentils and stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
6. Add the tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes or until the lentils break up and the dhal thickens – if it’s too thick and the lentils are still hard, just add some more stock or water. Stir in the lime juice and season with salt and pepper.
7. Serve the hot dhal topped with the roasted vegetables, scattered with coriander.
Variations
Use celeriac, aubergine, courgettes, green pepper or mushrooms instead of the fennel. Crushed coriander seeds can be substituted for the cumin seeds. Sprinkle with chopped parsley instead of coriander and squeeze over the juice of half a lemon instead of the lime.