5 minutes Dahl
The idea of cooking a curry in 5 minutes might seem a little far fetched but once you cook this you will become a believer! Its a wonderful recipe to have in your repertoire as its so tasty and easy to make and you can easily adapt it to what ingredient you have and also to your pallet
Takes: 5mins | Makes: 2 Servings | Difficulty: Beginner
A Dahl is generally applied to any curry that is lentil based. The reason why this works so well while only taking 5 mins is that we use fast cooking veg and also pre cooked beans and lentils. The main flavour agents are what is known as an Indian stock where we use onion or in this case scallions or green onions along with garlic, ginger and chilli as the base flavours which all other flavours hang off. The main liquid part of the sauce is comprised of coconut milk and chopped tomatoes, the coconut milk bring a sweet richness which balances out the acidity from the chopped tomatoes. The spinach add more nutrients to this dish and once it has wilted it add almost a creamy like texture and a beautiful bright contrasting colour.
FAQ – frequently asked questions
You can simply use water or veg stock in place and it will result in a more lighter and lower in fat version. Alternatively you could use oat milk or non dairy milk of choice however it wont be as indulgent or as rich.
Lastly you could substitute with a cashew cream sauce.
Absolutely! You could use any cooked beans or lentils of choice, some of our favourites are butterbeans, blackbeans and lentils.
Yes indeed it freezes really well and heats up great. We suggest freezing it in portions so you only have to reheat what you need so it avoids wastage.
Allow it to cook and store it in a reusable tub in the fridge. It will last for 2 days in the fridge.
Yes indeed, white onions, red onions, or even leeks can work in place, the onions function as the base flavours, they will just require longer to caramelise so the dish will take you more like 10 mins or even 15 mins to make
It will last for 2 days in the fridge
Serving suggestions for this 5 mins Dahl?
- Although from a totally different continent and different ethnicities – middle eastern dips go amazing with a dahl, here is our favourite middle eastern sharing mezze plater.
- If you are doing an Indian feast like dinner here is a recipe for a beautiful vegan butter chickn curry that is so creamy
- Another recipe hailing from a totally different continent yet goes great great is this sticky toffee pudding recipe.
Our favourite Chickpea & lentil recipes
- Here’s a lovely simple lower fat dahl recipe great for weight management
- A split Red lentil Dahl is always one of our favourite meals and is so soothing
- A real classic using lentils is this easy to make Lentil Spaghetti Bolognese
5 Minute Dahl
Takes 5 minutes
Serves 3
Ingredients
- 400 g chickpeas tin of cooked chickpeas
- 400 g cooked lentils tin
- 3 cloves garlic
- 20 g small nub of ginger
- 5 scallions/spring onions
- 2 tbsp oil
- 50 g baby spinach
- 400 g coconut milk tin
- ½ lime or lemon juice
- 15 g fresh coriander
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp salt adjust to taste
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
- 3 wholemeal pitta breads toasted to serve
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas and lentils. Peel and finely chop the garlic and ginger, chop the scallions, and halve the cherry tomatoes. Pick the coriander leaves and finely chop the stalks.
- Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan over high heat. Add the garlic and ginger to the pan, then reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the scallions, cherry tomatoes, coriander stalks, and 1 tsp of salt to the pan. Cook for a further minute.
- Add the coconut milk, lentils, and chickpeas. Stir well. Then, add the curry powder, ground cumin, turmeric, remaining salt, black pepper, tamari/soy sauce, and lime juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes.
- A few minutes before serving, add the spinach to wilt. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Serve with toasted pitta breads, fresh coriander, and chilli flakes, if desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Video
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6 Comments
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Dave says:
Genuinely one of my favourites. I go back to this one time and time again and often replace the lentils with whatever other beans I have and replace the spinach with other herbs of choice.
A great family favourite in my house, if you have kids that don’t like it spicy then cut down on the spices! -
Stephen says:
always one of my go to dinners in a hurry! -
Michaela kitney says:
Loved this recipe went really well, quick to make and low fat. Practically fat free, always my go to recipe. Can be changed with using beans instead of lentils or chickpea’s. Love it!
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Wonderful recipe always my go to, when in a hurry. Never disappoints, can be changed and virtually fat free. I’m at slimming world, this is nearly syn free. -
birgit says:
sounds delicious -
Deb says:
Without a doubt the simplest yet the tastiest curry I’ve ever had. I’ll keep coming back to this one over and over again. Thank you.
6 Comments
Genuinely one of my favourites. I go back to this one time and time again and often replace the lentils with whatever other beans I have and replace the spinach with other herbs of choice.
A great family favourite in my house, if you have kids that don’t like it spicy then cut down on the spices!
always one of my go to dinners in a hurry!
Loved this recipe went really well, quick to make and low fat. Practically fat free, always my go to recipe. Can be changed with using beans instead of lentils or chickpea’s. Love it!
Wonderful recipe always my go to, when in a hurry. Never disappoints, can be changed and virtually fat free. I’m at slimming world, this is nearly syn free.
sounds delicious
Without a doubt the simplest yet the tastiest curry I’ve ever had. I’ll keep coming back to this one over and over again. Thank you.