Some days you can’t beat a delicious Dhal for lunch! I love Dhal as it is so easy to prepare and it’s a great Ayurveda recipe for reducing pitta, which is something I’m usually in need of. Pitta dosha is known as your inner fire, it controls your digestion, metabolism and energy production. Therefore, during the summer months pitta dosha can be high due to a number of things including the warmer weather.
So getting back to the dhal recipe I’m loving my new Instant Pot (for those of you’ve who have never heard of it, it’s a 7-in-1 cooking gadget that does slow cooking as well as pressure cooking, as well as lots of other things) and playing around with recipes. This Dhal took just 30 minutes to cook. This dhal recipe will work equally well in a normal pan or a slow cooker it will just take longer for the lentils to soften.
Not only is this Dhal vegan and gluten-free it is packed full of protein so will keep you full for hours.
Ingredients for the Dhal:
Serves 4
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2tbsp coconut oil
- 2tsp turmeric
- 1tsp cumin seeds
- 2tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1tsp ground cumin
- 1tsp ground coriander
- 2tsp curry powder
- 160g Moong Dhal
- 700ml water
- 2 large handfuls spinach
- 1 small handful fresh coriander
Method:
- Chop the garlic and onions and grate the ginger
- If using an Instant Pot set it to the sauté function and add the coconut oil. If using a pan heat the coconut oil in the pan
- Add the onions, garlic and ginger and fry until softened
- Add the cumin seeds, ginger, cumin, coriander and curry powder and stir for a few minutes until the flavour of the spices is released
- Add the moong dhal and water, stir well. If using the Instant Pot set to manual pressure cooking for 10 minutes and left it to release for 10 minutes. If using a pan, reduce the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes (check with the cooking instructions on the Moong Dhal packet)
- Stir in the spinach, lemon and coriander and left it for a few minutes on keep warm setting (instant pot) or on a low heat (pan) to cook the spinach
- Serve with rice or chapati
If you’ve enjoyed this recipe why not check out my other lunch ideas and add a comment below.
