If you love Indian cuisine this super tasty dhal topped with slightly crispy roasted aubergines will excite your palate! If you are not a big fan of aubergines, try it this way – the combination with dhal makes it delicious. High in fibre and full of good proteins, this dish can be eaten as a soup or as a side dish with steamed rice. For vegans or vegetarians, if you haven’t yet tried this recipe, you should give it a go!
What Dhal to use for this dish?
There are so many variations of dhal, just like there are quite a few variations in its spelling. Is it Dal, daal or Dahl? Whatever way you spell it, this dish remains flavourful with its combination of spices. For this recipe, we will use yellow split peas which can easily be found in any supermarket.
What are the key ingredients
Yellow split peas: You can soak the peas 1 hour beforehand or overnight. It cooks quicker.
Onions: Fried onions forms the base of the dish.
Ginger and garlic: For added flavour.
Tomatoes: It adds a little acidity and texture to the dhal.
Turmeric: It adds flavour and brings out the colour of the dhal.
Curry powder: Use ground curry powder with medium heat.
Curry leaves: Use fresh or dried. It adds authenticity to the dish.
Coriander: To garnish before serving.
Aubergine: It adds extra texture to the dish.
Useful tips for making dhal
- Plan ahead and soak the yellow split peas overnight before cooking it. It will have a shorter cooking time. Alternatively use a pressure cooker.
- Make sure the oil is nice and hot before adding the spices so they can release maximum flavours. Then turn down the heat to medium.
- If you prefer a smoother texture, use a whisk to stir and break the dhal. This will give it a thick creamy consistency.
Dhal soup with Crispy Roasted Aubergines (vegan)
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
For the Dhal
- 200 g yellow split peas soaked in water
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 thumb ginger minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large tomato diced
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 10 curry leaves fresh, dried or frozen
- 1/2 cup coriander chopped
- 3 cups water
- sea salt and cracked black pepper
For the roast aubergines
- 1 aubergine
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- sea salt and cracked black pepper
Instructions
For the aubergine
- Preheat the oven to 180c. Cut the aubergines into 2cm cubes and place on a baking tray.
- To roast the aubergines, combine all dry ingredients and sprinkle over the aubergines. Drizzle with olive oil and toss until the aubergines are well coated. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, tossing half way through to allow even cooking. When they it should be golden brown.
For the Dhal
- Add 2 tbsp oil to a heated pan and sweat the onions for 1 minute. Add the curry leaves, ginger and garlic, and stir for 30 seconds. Next add the turmeric and curry powder, and stir for 2 minutes until dry. Try not to burn the spices. Add the diced tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes, stirring continuously.
- To the mixture, add the soaked split peas and coat well. Pour water over the mixture , season well and cook in the pressure cooker for 20-25 minutes, until soft.
- Before serving, stir in the roast aubergines , leaving some to garnish on top with coriander.
- Serve on it own as a soup, or with steamed Basmati rice.
Leave a Reply