Recipe of the Day: Dad’s Secret Anglo-Indian Dal (Or Lovely Gubly Lentils)

The best thing about Anglo-Indian heritage has to be the food. East meets west really doesn’t get any better than when it is sitting on a plate on a cold English day. One of my absolute favourite dishes has to be our family Dal recipe that has been a staple in my diet as long as I can remember. As well as being super healthy and soul-warmingly satisfying, it tastes amazing encapsulating those classic Indian flavours of earthy cumin and vibrant coriander. I must have eaten at least a kilo of lentils last year at university, especially during hockey season when I came back freezing, famished and fatigued. So please have a go and no one tell my dad that this famous Lucas recipe has entered the blogosphere.

Ingredients (Serves 2)*

1 Small cup of red lentils
1 White onion
1/2 tsp of Garam masala
1 tsp of Cumin
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp pureed Ginger
1 tsp pureed Garlic
1 handful Corriander

*All of the quantities are approximate as I usually just throw everything in Indian style 🙂

Wash the lentils thoroughly in a sieve. Put into a pan and cover with water until it reaches about one inch and a half above them. Bring to the boil and then lower the heat so it is simmering gently. Skim off any scum that will collect on the top occasionally. This gets rid of unwanted starch.

Chop the onion into small pieces and measure out your spices. Add the onions to a pan and fry lightly. Then add the spices, garlic and ginger, stirring well. Once the onions are nice and soft, switch of the heat and put to the side.

 

Stir your lentils occasionally keeping an eye on the water level. It should be absorbed by the lentils which will gradually start to break down. You will notice this when you stir. You can see the difference in the second picture.

 

When the bubbles seem thicker and the lentils virtually shapeless, add your onion mixture and salt to taste. Give it a good mix and leave to infuse for another five minutes and then finally add chopped corriander.

And there it is! My delicious family dal recipe; ideal on a cold winter day and perfect for that silly diet you may be on. Goes great with rice or a fresh chapati mmm!!

When Grandmothers Come to Visit.

Sausage meat pie, Roasties and Sweetcorn

It is known among most of us, how awkward it can be to say “no!” to that extra potato your grandmother is trying to put on your plate or the sandwiches and cake between lunch and dinner and the eight O’ clock supper of soup and bread. You feel guilty for stuffing down those extra large portions, all the tea and biscuits you would consume in a week and a flurry of tid-bits she keeps bringing to you but really, we all love it. There is nothing like a grandmother’s cooking to make you feel happy and content like a little pig in the sun. It must be the way it tastes; not particularly spectacular or stunningly presented but full of a warming homeliness that makes you feel young and safe. It is almost like the feeling you get opening a present on Christmas day; ultimately irresistible to even the most miserable of adults. It is only when she leaves after that long weekend you start to notice the bloating of your stomach and the pangs of hunger visiting you every hour on the hour. You immediately crave anything green and juicy and foods of a brown or beige hue offend. However, once you have returned to your limited routine and food doesn’t just find its way into your mouth, you start to wish you had Nana’s magical meals back in the house again and more importantly, her there to make it taste great.