Coconut dal with gai lan and tomato sambol

This is a Sri Lankan dal by Meera Sodha, a chef, food writer, and author from the UK who I adore... I've taken inspiration from my friend Rupal Bhatikar, a chef and food writer from Melbourne, who suggests adding greens such as baby spinach, kale, or the leaves of gai lan.

Coconut dahl with gai lan and tomato sambol Credit: Adam Liaw

• serves

  2

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

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episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

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Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 10 fresh curry leaves
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 long green chilli, very finely chopped
• 1 lemongrass stick, cut in half on an angle
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
• 150 g red lentils
• ⅓ tsp ground turmeric
• 400 g can coconut milk
• 1 bunch gai lan, leaves only, cut into fine ribbons
• 1¼ tsp salt
• 2 tsp lime juice

For the tomato sambol

• 40 g desiccated coconut
• 60 ml (¼ cup) just boiled water
• 1 long red chilli, finely chopped
• 100 g cherry tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• ½ tsp salt

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a saucepan over medium heat and add three-quarters of the onion (save the rest for the sambol), the curry leaves, garlic, chilli, lemongrass and cinnamon and stir for 5 minutes or until fragrant.
2. Stir in the lentils and turmeric, then add the coconut milk and 450 ml water. Bring the mixture to the boil and simmer, stirring occasionally for 20 - 25 minutes or until the lentils are no longer chalky and are tender to the bite.
3. Add the gai lan and cook for 1 minute or until wilted. Add a little more water if the dal is too thick, then season with salt and lime juice.
4. Meanwhile, for the sambol, place the desiccated coconut into a heat-proof bowl. Add the just boiled water and stir to combine. Stir in the reserved onion, chilli, tomatoes, lime and salt. Check the balance and add a little more salt if needed.
5. To serve, remove the cinnamon and lemongrass from the dal and transfer to serving bowl. Serve with the sambol and rice or paratha.

 

Photography by Adam Liaw.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Stolen Goods (Recipes Stolen from Someone Else)

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G