Dal (dhal, dahl?) and green beans

I love dal. I could eat it every day and I have lots of different versions of it. The only thing that I don’t like about it is all the different ways you can spell it. Usually it’s the dish I make when I haven’t been shopping and don’t have anything fresh in the house. If you serve it with brown rice you’ve got a complete protein and it’s very filling. Today I had some green beans to use up. I always like them when I eat them but can never think of what to do with them. I adapted a recipe from Das Sreedharan “Flavours of India” which I borrowed from the library. The dal I normally cook is made with coconut so I chose a different one here, adapted from World Food Cafe.

Green bean curry (amounts are all approximate)

Heat some oil in a frying pan. Add two green chillis, halved, a small chunk of chopped ginger, a few curry leaves, tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp turmeric and a touch of chilli powder. Fry for a minute then add half an onion, sliced.
Cook for a few minutes then add 1 chopped tomato, half a pack of halved green beans and a splash of water. Cover and cook until beans are tender. Add a few tbsps dessicated coconut and seasoning, and mix well before serving.

Dal

Rinse 125g moong dal until the water runs clear. Place in a pan and cover with 400 mls water. Bring to the boil and scoop off the foam from the top.

Add a chunk of chopped ginger and a touch of turmeric. Simmer until the dal is very soupy.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a small pan and add 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced. When they start to brown (let them go browner thanyou normally would – you want the smokiness) add 1 tsp black mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds and a few red chillies. Heat until the seeds begin to pop then pour into the dal and mix well. Add plenty of salt and some chopped coriander.

Advertisement