Week 14: Goan-style Dal Curry

The book: Curry Easy (Madhur Jaffrey)

The recipe: p191, "Goan-style Dal Curry"

I was up at my parents' in Newcastle this weekend just gone, but tempted as I was to subject them to the whims of the Random Kitchen, our dinner plans were set in stone - Gosforth Chippy on Saturday (as it must be) and Red Mezze on Sunday - so it wasn't until Monday night that I let the finger of fate do its worst.

It's back to Curry Easy this week, and after our adventures in yoghurt and pineapple a few weeks ago, I'm pleased to report that it's something closer to an actual meal this time. Or at least a component thereof, depending on your legume tolerance.

I've already mentioned that Madhur's moong dal is one of my go-to recipes, and I'm a big fan of the humble lentil in a curry context, so this looks like it might be an interesting one. Closer inspection of the ingredients and method, however, make it clear that this is essentially another variant on a theme of "boil some lentils into submission, make a tadka, stir in and serve". There's quite a lot of that in Curry Easy. Or, to put it another way:

Oh well. There was always a risk this project would involve something I'd made before, or at least something suspiciously similar, and the results should be decent enough since I already have an idea of what will be coming out the other side. So let's go!

The prep: Our cupboards are not short of lentils, grains and the like. The recipe for this Goan-style curry calls for red lentils, but Madhur explains in the introduction that moong dal can be used instead or mixed half and half. Since we've got both in stock, I go for a nice colourful mixture.

I have to pop out and get some fresh coriander and ginger, but otherwise it's all very standard store-cupboard stuff for any curry aficionado - being both a lazybones and a cheapskate, I guess that's precisely why I end up eating so many vegetarian curries for lunch... 

The making: The red lentils and moong dal are placed in a medium pan with 700ml of water, which is brought to the boil. The inevitable scum (mmm, tasty scum) is skimmed from the top, then a good 40 minutes of slow, slow simmering follows.

Once the lentils have absorbed the water and are nice and creamy-looking, two chopped tomatoes are added (the recipe calls for them to be peeled too; I may have enough time on my hands to write this self-indulgent blog, but there isn't enough time in the world to make me want to spend it peeling tomatoes, so: fuck that), along with Madhur-esque quantities of salt (like last time, I used a bit less), a good half-teaspoon of cayenne pepper and - I think it's fair to say - a not insubstantial amount of coriander.

European coriander mountain

The mixture is then simmered for another 10 minutes before being taken off the heat and left to thicken a bit.

Meanwhile, brown mustard seeds and cumin seeds are fried in oil in a medium-sized frying pan, then a chopped onion and a small handful of curry leaves are added. Once the onion is browning nicely, garlic and ginger are added, stirred, and fried briefly. Then the contents of the frying pan are stirred through the lentil mixture - and our filling Goan-style lentil dish is ready to roll.

Ez a dal

"Serve with rice and some fish", Madhur says, so I oblige. Microwave pilau and a dusted sole fillet from Iceland probably aren't quite what she had in mind, but we're all about fusion cuisine in this household.

The eating: As I said, I'm predisposed towards a good lentil curry anyway, but this is a winner. It has all the warming heartiness of a regular tarka dal or moong dal, but the blandness that those dishes can suffer from is swiftly banished by the aggressive kick of the cayenne pepper, a hint of acidic zing from the tomatoes and a generally more well-rounded flavour thanks to the curry leaves, toasted seeds and coriander. I wonder which of those elements makes it specifically "Goan-style"? I'm ignorant and it's never fully explained in Curry Easy, which is a bit of a shame.

Either way, while I'm still not convinced this merits its own separate entry in the book - one or two dal recipes would suffice; half a dozen similar ones are overkill - it's definitely the best variant I've found in there yet, so I'll be going straight back to page 191 the next time a dish like this is called for. Which, in this household, tends to be quite often.

Reader, I ate the leftovers for breakfast. That's how good it was.

One-word verdict: Moreish.