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Vegetarian

Daal Makhani

This one is deceptively substantial for a vegetarian dish, and delicious hot or cold. You can also make it by throwing all of the ingredients into the slow cooker at the start of the day, so you come home to a delicious creamy dinner. Serve with basmati rice.

Serves 4

Difficulty
Easy
Preparation Time
30 minutes to 1 hour
Cooking Time
10 to 30 minutes
Calories Per Serving
555
Bob's  Kitchen Recipe Card

Ingredients for  4  Servings

  • 400g
    Tin of brown lentils, rinsed and drained
  • 400g
    Tin of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1
    Very large onion, finely chopped, or 200g frozen diced onion
  • 1 tbsp
    Garlic paste
  • 1 tbsp
    Ginger paste
  • 2 tbsp
    Medium curry powder
  • Pinch
    Chilli or cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 75g
    Butter
  • 400g tin
    Full-fat coconut milk
  • 400g tin
    Chopped tomatoes
  • -
    Salt and black pepper
  • -
    Fresh coriander, to garnish (optional)

Approximate Times

  • Preparation :
    30 minutes to 1 hour
  • Cooking :
    10 to 30 minutes

Method

  1. Put the onion, garlic and ginger pastes, curry powder, cayenne or chilli (if using) with half the butter in a frying pan over a low-medium heat. Cook until the onions soften.
  2. Pour in the coconut milk and tomatoes and season with a pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the beans, lentils and remaining butter. Simmer for about 30 minutes.
  3. Remove from the heat, cover and leave to cool completely; the flavours will continue to cook and develop as it cools.
  4. To serve, heat through thoroughly and serve with rice. If you like, scatter over some fresh coriander.

Notes

Add frozen spinach or kale for an extra bit of goodness; it’s virtually undetectable if you’re trying to feed fussy palates.

The kidney beans can be swapped for black beans, borlotti beans or aduki beans, and the brown lentils for green ones or gungo peas, depending on what you have in the cupboard.

If you’re short on coconut milk, use semi-skimmed or full-fat milk with a tablespoon of sugar and an extra tablespoon of oil instead.