Dhal, dahl or dal - there are as many different variations of the dish itself, as there are the spelling! But whichever version (or spelling) dhal is a fragrant, spiced Indian dish made from pulses such as chickpeas or lentils.
This lentil version is simple to make and mild enough for the whole family to enjoy. So good served with Naan bread to mop up the juices. Use whatever vegetables you have to hand - there are no hard rules here!
Skills Check
Follow a recipe; follow food safety and hygiene rules; tidy away; use measuring spoons; use a jug to measure liquids; cut using bridge/claw technique safely; use a box grater safely; crush garlic; use the hob (with adult supervision); season to taste.
Equipment
Chopping board, knife, box grater, measuring spoons, measuring jug, wooden spoon, large lidded saucepan.
Allergens: (Please note the allergens listed are indicative only. Allergens vary depending on brand; check the labels on the products you use)
Celery | Sesame
Ingredients (serves 4):
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- Thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated
- 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1.5 tsp turmeric
- 1.5 tsp ground cumin
- 2 sweet potatoes, cut into even bite-sized pieces
- 250g red split lentils
- 600ml vegetable stock, reduced salt
- 80g spinach
- Black pepper, to taste
Method
- Heat the sesame oil in a large pan.
- Add the red onion and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, until softened, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic, ginger and red chilli, and cook for 1 minute before adding the turmeric and cumin. Cook for 1 minute more.
- Turn up the heat to medium and add the sweet potatoes, stirring to cover them in the spice mixture.
- Add the red lentils, vegetable stock and some black pepper to taste.
- Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and cook for around 20 minutes. The lentils and potatoes should be just tender.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning, and gently stir in the spinach until just wilted.
So thinking about Sweet Potato Dhal...
Sweet Potatoes are a nutritious and filling starchy food; low in fat and a good source of beta-carotene (Vitamin A), vitamin C and fibre.
Lentils are so good for us! They are legumes and like other legumes (beans, peas and chickpeas) they are packed with protein and fibre. They are also low in calories and fat and contain a number of substances which are thought to be hugely beneficial to our health.
Nutritional Information
| Energy | 1380kJ / 326kcal | 16% | |
| Low | Fat | 1.8g | 3% |
| Low | Saturates | 0.3g | 2% |
| Low | Sugars | 9.5g | 11% |
| Low | Salt | 0.25g | 4% |
per 554g serving
% of an adult's reference intake
Typical values per 100g: Energy 249kJ / 59kcal
Notes
A traffic light system is used on nutrition labels to make it easier to see which foods and drinks are lower in calories, fat, sugar and salt. Try and choose more ‘greens’ and ‘ambers’ and fewer ‘reds’, and stick to smaller portions of ‘reds’.
Just because a recipe or a food has a red traffic light doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat it. Understanding why a food or recipe might have a red light can be helpful. For example oily fish is high in total fat and so any recipe containing oily fish is likely to be ‘red’ for fat. But it is recommended that we eat oily fish at least once a week because the type of fat it contains is beneficial for our health.
% Reference Intakes are also shown. Reference Intakes are guidelines about the approximate amount of particular nutrients and energy required for a healthy diet (based on an average-sized woman doing an average amount of physical activity). Most children will require less than these Reference Intakes. The contribution of one serving of a food or drink to the Reference Intake for each nutrient is expressed as a percentage.
