Spinach Dhal – VeganMoFo Day 11

You may be getting a slight deja-vu feeling from this post. Yeah, I posted a dhal bolognese yesterday. And today I’m doing a spinach dhal! Is it a bit much? No! Dhal is delicious. And since today’s VeganMoFo prompt is your “Favourite Cuisine” I just had to do something Indian related. I love Indian food – it’s so versatile, from snacks like samosas to curries and even quick junk food meals, you can make it however you like. I’ve already posted a dhal recipe here before, but this one is a little more involved.

I use whole spices in this  – as explained in yesterday’s post, they give a wonderful depth of flavour to the dish. Well worth buying! I also add spinach because spinach goes really well in Indian food. I use frozen spinach because that’s what I tend to have on hand, but if you wanted to use fresh you could.

Serve this with rice, or in bowls with vegan naan bread, or chapatis!

Spinach Dhal

• Servings: 2-3
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Ingredients

• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp chopped ginger
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 200g frozen spinach
• 130g red lentils
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Directions

1. In a saucepan, heat up the sunflower oil and add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and coriander seeds. Fry until fragrant and the mustard seeds begin to “pop”.
2. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, chilli flakes, and salt, and fry for 5 minutes, until the onion softens.
3. Add the turmeric and garam masala, and fry, stirring, for 30 seconds.
4. Stir in the frozen spinach and fry for a minute.
5. Stir through the lentils, and add the vegetable stock.
6. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the lentils are very soft.
7. Stir in the lemon juice and serve!