Dhal soup with Crispy Roasted Aubergines (vegan)
This Dhal is absolute comfort in a bowl with spicy aromas, made even more special with slightly crispy roasted aubergine pieces. Enjoy as a soup or with steamed basmati rice.
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.
Notes
Soaking the Dhal: Dhal can take a long time to soften when cooking. If you are in a rush, you can cook the dhal without soaking. Add 10 additional minutes to your cooking time until the dhal is cooked. There are different varieties of split peas, and some cook much quicker than others.
Pressure Cooker v/s Pan: Using a pressure cooker allows for the dhal to cook much faster. If you prefer using a pan, add 10-15 minutes to the cooking time.