A wonderfully fragrant and filling dhal recipe from A La Mesa, a celebration of food from the childhoods and travels of Sarah and Aitana of The Little Cooking Pot in Clapton. A La Mesa is a joyous and mindful guide to growing, sourcing, preserving, cooking, eating and composting. This recipe was inspired by Sarah’s travels in Sri Lanka. |
Sarah: Every family that I stayed with in Sri Lanka wanted to cook and share their yellow dhal recipe. It’s exciting how something so simple can have so many ways of being cooked, as each person who makes it adds a little more of this or a little less of that. I suppose this recipe is a little of each of the wonderful people that I met during that trip. It’s often served with pol sambol, an addictive lime and chilli-spiked coconut chutney and a stack of warm roti. We make dhal throughout the year, using this recipe as a base and adding whatever is in season. Carrot and cardamom is a brilliant combination, as is winter squash.
Adding fresh spinach or baby chard, just before serving, brings a vibrant freshness to the dish.
Serves 5 to 6
Ingredients
For the tempering:
For the Pol Sambol:
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Method
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Sarah Cotterell and Aitana Infante
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