Pink Lentils In Coconut Milk

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Lentils are a big part of my diet as I usually eat vegetarian food and I love different flavours in my lentil recipes. In July in my India trip, I met the famous, sweet and talented Natasha Diddee, (check out her Instagram profile @thegutlessfoodie) after meeting me for the first time and confirming I am not an axe murderer (the joke we had between us) she was kind enough to invite me and my sister home for lunch.

Boy, she is one talented and hilarious woman I have met.. 🙂 She cooked a storm for us and every single dish was heavenly delicious. One of the dishes she made was pink lentils simmered in coconut milk. It was spicy yet had a delicate flavour to it! I love coconut milk in anything and everything so I adopted her recipe and made it according to our taste. 🙂

This dish goes really well with rice and rotis both. Do give it a try!

Ingredients:

- 1 cup pink lentils (whole masoor lentils)
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 tomato medium diced
- 5 cloves of garlic roughly smashed
- 3 or to taste green chillies slit in half
- 1 tsp kala masala (from Maharashtra) or garam masala
- 1 tsp or to taste red chilli powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp asafoetida
Salt to taste
1 sprig of curry leaves
½ tsp mustard seeds
200 ml coconut milk
A few dried red chillies
1 tbsp tamarind pulp
Water as needed
2 tsp ground nut oil or coconut oil
Coriander for garnishing

Instructions:

Pressure cook the lentils with 1 ½ cups of water, a pinch of asafoetida, salt and turmeric powder.

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, let them splutter then add garlic, curry leaves, red chillies. Sauté for 2 minutes.

Add in the onion, turmeric powder, green chillies, kala masala or garam masala, red chilli powder and sauté for 5 minutes till the onion is golden brown.

Add in the tomato, cooked lentils (dal). Simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the coconut milk, mix well. Simmer for another 5 minutes. In the end tamarind pulp.

Garnish with fresh coriander.

Serve hot with rice or rotis (flatbreads).

Gayatri Singh