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!!

Amazing, Easy and Absolutely Impossible to Mess up Cupcakes!!

My Boyfriend’s mother is possibly one of the best bakers I know. There has rarely been a time when I stay at his house that there hasn’t been freshly baked cakes and muffins available. I can never resist asking her for the recipes and this is by far the easiest and best cupcake recipe I have come across. For the beginner baker it really is a dream and with all this ease you get a satisfying result.

Ingredients (Makes 20)

250g Plain Flour
15g Baking Powder
200g Caster Sugar
40g Cocoa Powder (Optional)
100g Chocolate Chips (Optional)
2 Eggs
100ml Vegetable Oil
130ml Warm Water

Whisk the eggs, sugar, oil and water until light and fluffy then add the rest of the ingredients folding gently. Spoon the mixture into cupcake cases, filling about two thirds of the way. Put into a preheated oven at 190°C for 15-17 minutes. Enjoy!!

I iced mine with a simple chocolate cream cheese icing as I left out the chocolate chips this time. They are equally as good without icing as long as they are moist inside 🙂