Green Lentil Dal with Quick Naan Breads
A quick, easy and delicious meal to make in under an hour, using a tin of green lentils for the dal.
Ingredients
For the green lentil dal:
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 garlic cloves finely grated
- 1 tsp dried red chilli flakes
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 5 cm piece fresh root ginger peeled and finely grated
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 0.5 tsp ground turmeric
- 0.5 tsp sea salt
- 2 x 400g cans green lentils drained and rinsed
- 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
- 1 vegetable stock cube crumbled (a stock pot will work too)
- 25 g fresh coriander roughly chopped
- handful of spinach optional
- mango chutney to serve
For the quick naan breads:
- 300g self-raising flour plus extra for dusting
- 0.75 tsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 175g fat free Greek style plain yoghurt
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
Instructions
- For the dal, heat the oil in a sauté pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add the cumin seeds and chilli flakes and fry for 20 seconds, or until the seeds start to pop.
- Add the onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until just softened. Add the garlic, ginger, ground cumin, coriander, turmeric and salt and cook for 1 minute.
- Then add the lentils, tomatoes, stock cube or pot and 400ml of water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Optional - before switching the heat off add a handful of spinach and stir until wilted. We added this as we had a small amount of spinach left in a bag in the fridge.
- Meanwhile, for the naan bread, put the flour, salt, and sesame seeds into a large bowl and mix well. Make a well in the centre and add the yogurt and 75ml of cold water. Mix together to form a soft dough.
- Put the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 1 to 2 minutes, or until it forms a smooth dough. Divide it into 6 pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Flatten each ball gently using the palm of your hand, then roll them out to 5 mm thick circles.
- Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large frying pan over a medium to high heat. Add 2 of the naan circles and cook them for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and puffed up. Repeat with the remaining naans, keeping the cooked naans warm in a very low oven.
- Add the coriander to the dal and stir. Serve with the naan bread and some spicy mango chutney – yum, this is really delicious!
Notes
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