“Daal is a tasty, cheap and wonderful expression of how great lentil recipes can be – teamed with fluffy rice, roasted aubergine and chilli, this is utterly delicious. ”
Ingredients
- 1 large aubergine
- 2 red onions
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 10 cm piece of ginger
- 4 tablespoons rogan josh curry paste
- groundnut oil
- 500 g yellow split peas
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 250 g wholemeal flour , plus extra for dusting
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 320 g basmati rice
- 1 fresh red chilli
- 1 handful of fresh curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
- Cut the aubergine into 2cm chunks, peel and slice the onions and garlic, peel and finely grate the ginger.
- Put all this into a large high-sided roasting tray with the curry paste and a lug of groundnut oil. Toss together until well coated, then roast for 20 to 25 minutes, or until sticky and caramelized.
- Remove half the roasted veg to a large pan to start your daal and return the tray to the oven to keep warm – turn the oven off so that the veg don’t dry out.
- Place the pan on a low heat on the hob. Stir in the split peas, crumble in the stock cube and add 2 litres of boiling water.
- Simmer for around 1 hour 20 minutes with the lid on, or until the split peas are tender and the daal has thickened, stirring occasionally, and adding splashes of water to loosen, if needed.
- Meanwhile, place the flour in a large bowl with a pinch of sea salt and make a well in the middle. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 150ml of water to the well and mix together with a fork.
- When it comes together as dough, tip it on to a flour-dusted surface, knead until smooth, then divide into 12 balls. Roll each one into a circle, nice and thin, turning as you go and dusting with a little extra flour, if needed.
- Put a frying pan on a medium heat and cook the chapatis for 1 minute on each side, or until cooked but not coloured. Stack them in tin foil as you go and keep them warm until needed.
- Put 1 mug of rice and 2 mugs of boiling water into a pan with a pinch of salt. Cook on a medium heat with the lid on for 12 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed.
- Meanwhile, to make the flavoured oil (called a temper), finely slice the chilli and place it in a small frying pan on a medium heat with the curry leaves, mustard seeds and a good lug of groundnut oil for 1 to 2 minutes, or until crispy.
- Load up your warm chapatis with rice, daal and a scattering of roasted veggies, drizzle over the temper, roll up and tuck in.
Tips
EASY SWAPS:
– Try dried or tinned lentils in place of the yellow split peas.
– I’ve gone for rogan josh here, but any flavour curry paste would be delicious.
– If you’re not in an aubergine mood, swap it out for chunks of squash or sweet potato, peppers, cauliflower or courgettes.
Source: Jamie Oliver
