Jamie Oliver's 15 Minute Meals: Daal Curry recipe (2024)

FAQs

Which lentils are best for dal? ›

BLACK GRAM (WHOLE) or URID / URAD. Rich and nutty, black gram or whole urid lentils make lavish dals with depth such as restaurant favourite Dal Makhani. They do need soaking overnight before cooking.

Jamie's 15-Minute Meals is a UK food lifestyle programme which aired on Channel 4 in 2012. In each half-hour episode, host Jamie Oliver creates two meals, with each meal taking 15 minutes to prepare.

Remove from the heat until the lentils are completely softened. Give the lentils a good stir. They should have the consistency of porridge – thicker than soup and looser than houmous.

Do red lentils need to be soaked before cooking? No, there is no need to soak red lentils before cooking but it is a good idea to give them a quick rinse.

Chana Dal :

So now is the time for us to talk about the most delicious, easily digestible, and nutritious dal, which is chana dal. Chana dal is widely used in Indian kitchens for preparation of a lot of delicious things. It is known as split Bengal gram in English.

What's the difference between a dahl and a curry? A dal recipe includes a split pulse, has a more soupy consistency, and has fewer spices than a curry. As dahl and curry novices we loved how quick and easy this recipe came together, we had dinner in 30 minutes.

So, always wash and soak them before cooking. Split dals take 6 to 8 hours to soak whereas heavy legumes, such as Rajma, Chana or Chole, should be cooked after soaking for 12 to 18 hours to get the right taste and texture. The best option is to soak the lentils and legumes overnight.

Salt brings out the natural sweetness of curry spice and the sugar will help balance the saltiness and bitterness. Do this two or three times and then go on to the next fix if it's still bitter. Use palm sugar, cane sugar or other sweeteners appropriate for the curry, if you prefer.

There is a trick to thicken dal quickly is to blend the 70% cooked dal into the blender and blend to a paste. Blend all or part of it, add cream or yogurt, add flour or cornflour, use a butter and flour paste, blend in bread and add lentils or rice. Dal/lentils always thicken naturally over time.

Lentils do not require it but can be soaked in order to reduce cooking time by about half. Before cooking, rinse lentils in cold water, pick over to remove debris or shrivelled lentils, then drain.

Why did my lentils turn to mush? ›

Avoiding Mushy Lentils

You want to see just a few bubbles in the water and some gentle movement in the lentils. They will plump up nicely without splitting their skins or becoming mushy. The other trick is to wait to add the salt or any acidic ingredients until the lentils are done cooking.

Note: Dried out lentil varieties don't need to be soaked. 1 cup of dried lentils yields 2 1/2 cups of cooked lentils. Serving size per person is ¼ cup.

Some of the most common types of lentils used in Indian cooking include masoor dal, toor dal, urad dal, and chana dal. Lentils can be cooked in a variety of ways, including boiling, simmering, or roasting.

Toor Dal (Split Pigeon Peas)

A popular choice for this Dal is Aashirvaad Organic Tur/Arhar Dal, which is sourced from organic farms and packed with nutrition. This daal is commonly used in dishes like Sambar and Gujarati Daal.

While brown lentils are fairly 'all-purpose,' red/yellow lentils are best for soups and stews where their mushy texture works well. In comparison, green and brown lentils maintain their shape after cooking and are great for salads, casseroles, side dishes, etc.

In terms of nutrition, both red and green lentils offer similar benefits. While red lentils tend to have a slightly higher protein content, green lentils boast higher levels of certain minerals such as potassium and magnesium.