Vegan black dal

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Sameer Taneja's recipe for a vegan black dal is a real crowd pleaser. Easy to make and packed with flavour from the spices and richness from the coconut, the dish is a great option for a vegan dinner party – just make sure you remember to soak the lentils the night before!

First published in 2021
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Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Method

1
Drain the dal and beans then place in a pan with 950ml of water and simmer with a lid on for 1 hour or until the lentils are tender. Turn off the heat
  • 140g of urad dal, soaked overnight in 4 times water to the dal
  • 2 tbsp of red kidney beans, dried, soaked overnight with the dal
2
Place a separate pan over a medium heat and add the coconut oil. Once hot, add the cumin seeds and bay leaf. As soon as they begin to sizzle add the garlic, ginger and chilli and fry for a minute or so
3
Once the garlic is soft without any colour, add the onion and cook for around 5 minutes or until soft and golden
4
Add the puréed tomato and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the boiled lentils with the remaining cooking liquid and bring to the boil
  • 1 tomato, (choose a large ripe one) puréed to a paste
5
Turn the heat down to a simmer then stir in a pinch of salt with the garam masala, ground coriander, turmeric powder and chilli powder. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent it from sticking
6
Taste and add more salt if needed, then stir in the coconut cream and crush the fenugreek leaves between your palms into the pan. Cook for a further 7-10 minutes until you have a lovely creamy consistency. Serve hot with a few matchsticks of ginger to garnish
First published in 2021
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After falling in love with European fine dining and working for the likes of Pierre Koffmann and Alain Roux, Sameer Taneja turned his attention to Indian flavours to become one of London's most esteemed chefs.

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