Pure Mountain Split Pea & Spinach Dal with Naan

10 Minutes

4 People

45 minutes

Ingredients

1 ½ cup Mountain split peas

3 Mountain tablespoons canola oil

½ cup white onion, grated

6 black peppercorns

2 whole cardamoms

4 whole cloves

½ tablespoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 tablespoon ginger, minced

1 cup whole tomatoes, skin and seeds removed

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon red chilli powder (optional)

1 teaspoon cumin powder

½ teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon tomato paste

1 cup spinach, blanched and shredded

2 tablespoons cream

1 ½ cup water

Directions

Fresh cilantro, red chili & naan to serve

1. In a large pot, heat oil, add cloves, peppercorn, cardamom, and cumin seeds, and cook for 2 minutes over high heat until they begin to crackle. Reduce the temperature to medium, add onions, salt & sauté till onions are soft and medium brown.

2. Add garlic, ginger and cook for a further 2 minutes over a medium heat. Add tomatoes, turmeric, red chili powder (optional), cumin powder, garam masala & tomato paste. Stir and cook for a further 2 minutes.

3. Add split peas, spinach, cream, water and bring to a boil. Gently simmer over low heat partially uncovered for about 30 minutes. You can cook for a further 10 – 15 minutes for a thicker consistency.

4. To serve, garnish with freshly cut bullet red chili, and fresh coriander & serve with naan or chapatti.

Notes

To prepare the split peas, soak them for a minimum of 1 hour in salted water. If you’d prefer to skip this step, soak for about 30 minutes in boiling hot water and follow the above recipe.

If you are using a pressure cooker, you add the water in step 3, turn on the pressure cooker and cook for about 3 whistles or so until the peas are cooked. If the consistency isn’t thick enough at this point, you can simmer for slightly longer.