Lemon Dahl

I first tried lemon dahl when I went on a meditation retreat to Gia House a few years back. Their food is renowned for being delicious, vegan and simple. This is my version of lemon dahl which I've evolved over the last few years. This recipe should be enough for 4 medium portion. and is so easy to make.  

Ingredients

250g of  red lentils, washed

1 tablespoon of coconut oil  

1 medium white onion, diced 

1/2 butternut squash, cut in to 2 cm cubes

100g mushrooms, chopped

1 red chili, finely chopped

2 inch of fresh ginger, grated

3 cloves garlic

1 litre of vegetable stock

1 tin of coconut milk

 2 tsp of Garam masala 

1 tsp of ground coriander

1 tsp of ground cumin

1 tsp of ground turmeric  

1 tsp black mustard seeds

2 bay leaves

zest and juice of 1 lemon 

salt and pepper to taste

Method 

Rinse the red lentils in cold running water and leave to one side. 

Heat the coconut oil in a large pan. Once its melted and hot add the mustard seeds and wait for them to start popping. Fry the onion in the pan for a few mins then add all the spices except the garam masala. 

Add the lentils, garlic, ginger and chili to the pan and fry for around 5 mins on a low heat. Make sure to stir continuously to avoid the lentils sticking. 

Stir in the mushrooms, butternut squash, bay leaves, lemon juice, zest, vegetable stock and salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer on a low heat for just over 20 minutes or until the butternut squash and lentils are tender but not mushy. 

Stir in the coconut milk and garam masala and cook for 5 more mins before serving.

Garnish with fresh corriander and some mango chutny.