Dhal is a rich source of protein and fibre as well as folate and iron. This delicious dish comes together really quickly and can be served on its own with flatbread or as part of a larger meal.
I mentioned in my last blog post that my mom was visiting us here in Spain whipping up all my favourite dishes. The first dish we requested was Trinidad curry with buss up shut roti. Buss up shut roti is an indian flatbread which is eaten alongside curry chicken, chickpeas, potato, pumpkin, dhal and so much more.
My whole family loves curry so this dish was a must while mom is here.
Chunkay the dhal
Mom and I had a really funny conversation as she was making this dhal. She asked me if i wanted her to chunkay the dhal. I was like huh? What the heck is chunkay? Mom explained that chunkay (verb) is the process by which you fry garlic and often geera (cumin) until mostly burnt. This is then added to the cooked dhal. She explained that she had only recently started making dhal this way and was in love with the results.
I had dhal a lot in the past but I swear this was the best dhal I had ever tasted! Mom had converted me.
Yellow split lentils is what is normally used to make this dish back home. I was so upset that I could not find yellow split lentils here in Spain but then one day a friend brought me a package of Moong Dal. Dal is the word for lentils in India. Moong dal, mung lentils and split yellow mung beans are just some of the names for these protein packed babies! The legumes as well as the cooked dish is called dhal.
Will you give this dish a try? Let me know if you do.
Dhal
Ingredients
- 1 cup Moong dal/ mung lentils/split yellow mung beans
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ onion finely chopped
- 5 garlic cloves sliced
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse dhal thoroughly in a fine-meshed strainer under cold running water
- Place the lentils in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and enough cold water to cover dhal.
- Add salt and black pepper.
- Bring to the boil, skimming off any scum that rises to the top.
- Simmer for 30-45 minutes until the lentils are completely soft, adding more water if needed.
- Blend with immersion blender to achieve a smooth texture.
Chunkay
- In a small saucepan heat a couple of tablespoons of oil and fry garlic onion turmeric and cumin until slightly burnt.
- Once the lentils are cooked add aromatic chunkay mixture.
- |Enjoy!
I have a whole bag of yellow split peas at home – now I know what to do with them! Thanks for sharing; it looks yummy!
Excellent! Hope you like it Tiffany:)
I had the same problem with the word “chunkay” I wasn’t even successful at Google…ing the word because I spelled it incorrectly. I got every thing that was CHUNKY, from salsa to soups to chocolate. Love your site with the big beautiful pictures. 😀
Haha I feel your pain Siobhan! Thanks 🙂
I like it – thanks for explaining
You’re most welcome Stacey and thank you for checking out this Dhal recipe 🙂