Dhal with Vegetables

Dhal with Vegetables

from Spice It, Murdoch Books, 2010.

The chapters in Spice It are organised under the effect of the spice: fragrant, intense, hot, sweet or blended. The dhal with vegetables comes from the chapter on intense spices. In this recipe the spices used are fenugreek seeds, cumin, coriander and turmeric.

Onions and garlic are softened in the pan before the spices are added and heated until the aroma comes through. The lentils (red and yellow) are added together with tomatoes and the stock. After about 15 minutes carrots and cauliflower are added to cook for a further 10 minutes. Beans come next for 5 minutes. A small amount of cream is added and stirred in. It’s ready then for seasoning if needed and for chopped coriander to be sprinkled on top.

It was all pretty easy to make and turned out to be a comfortable meal. I did not find that the spice mixture was intense at all. I had expected something that would have a little more strength to it; I tend to like my spicy meals to be really spicy.

Though fine as a meal I don’t expect I’ll ever go back to make it again.

Taste: ✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔✔