That’s right, we’ve whipped up the best-ever dal curry to keep you warm this winter. You can enjoy it with some fragrant basmati rice.

SERVES 4 // COOKING TIME 40 min

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp vegetable oil
½ onion, peeled and roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 cm ginger, peeled and grated
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
3 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp ground smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tbsp dried curry leaves
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
400 g tin chopped tomatoes
400 ml vegetable stock
200 ml coconut cream
¾ cup red lentils
1 tbsp lime juice
Salt and black pepper

METHOD
1. Heat oil in a pot. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, all of the spices, and curry leaves. Fry until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the potatoes and fry for another 3 minutes, until golden.
3. Add chopped tomatoes, stock, coconut cream and lentils and bring to a simmer for 30 minutes, until the potatoes and lentils are soft.
4. Season with lime juice, salt and pepper and serve with rice.

Recipe, styling & photography: Anett Velsberg

Serve your dal with Vani Padayachee’s dhania murgh.

The post MK’s best-ever dal curry to warm your belly appeared first on MyKitchen.

We took some simple vegetarian ingredients and turned them into a lovely starter or, in larger portions, our dal soup makes a great cheap and cheerful family dinner. And remember that because they are small, split in half and skinned, red lentils are the quickest cooking of all pulses. However, they tend to disintegrate – this makes them great for dals and soups, less so for salads or sides.

SERVES 4 // COOKING TIME 30 min

INGREDIENTS
800 ml vegetable stock
250g red lentils
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, peeled and chopped
410g tin chopped tomatoes
2½ cm ginger, peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
Salt and black pepper
Plain yoghurt, to serve

METHOD
1. Place the stock and lentils in a pot over medium heat. Simmer for 15–20 minutes, until lentils are soft.
2. Dry-fry the spices in a non-stick pan over medium heat until fragrant. Grind coarsely with a mortar and pestle.
3. Melt the butter in the pan over medium heat and fry the onion for 5 minutes, until soft. Then add the tomatoes, ginger, garlic and spice mix, and cook for 10–15 minutes.
4. Add the onion mix to the lentils and stir through. Season. Serve each bowl with a dollop of yoghurt.

The post Quick spiced dal soup appeared first on MyKitchen.