Dhal

Name: Dhal
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 250 g (1¼ cups) red lentils, rinsed, drained; 1 onion, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; ½ tsp ground turmeric; 1 tbsp Maldive fish pieces (see Note); 1 tsp Sri Lankan curry powder; 6 fresh curry leaves; 1 long green chilli, sliced; 1 cinnamon quill; 500 ml (2 cups) coconut milk; 60 ml (¼ cup) coconut cream; steamed rice, coriander leaves, coconut sambol and Jaffna goat curry (optional, see Note), to serve; 80 ml olive oil; 1 tsp mustard seeds; 1 cinnamon quill; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 4 garlic cloves, sliced; 5 fresh curry leaves; 1 tsp dried chilli flakes

Instructions

Prep:15minCook:25min

In 1672 Dutchman Philip Baldaeus wrote, "The Helen of this Isle is the finest and purest cinnamon." It is the spice that drew the attention of colonial powers to the island, becoming the main article of trade for the Dutch East India Company. Sri Lanka has long been associated with this spice and not surprisingly, it features heavily in its cuisine. Generally served as part of a larger shared meal, there are as many variations of this dish (known as paripoo) thoughout the country as there are people who make it. The use of coconut milk, dried Maldive fish, fresh curry leaves and of course, cinnamon, lend a distinctively Sri Lankan flavour to this recipe.

Updated at: Sun, 21 Apr 2024 15:07:25 GMT