Serves: 2
Ingredients
1/2 cup chana dal
1 cup water
1/8 tsp ground turmeric
1 medium courgette, cut
into half moons
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp cumin
seeds
pinch asafoetida (omit
if GF)
1/2 tsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1
green chilli, minced
1 small onion, finely
chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
Method:
- Put the chana dal in the pressure cooker, together with the water and turmeric, bring up to pressure and cook for 10 minutes. Reduce pressure naturally.
- Once you can take the lid off, add the courgette and salt. If the dal is very dry, add a couple of tablespoons of water.
- Put the cooker over a low flame and gently simmer the dal and courgette until the latter starts to soften. Keep an eye on it so that it doesn’t overcook – you still want a bit of texture in it. Add more water, if you think it needs it, but usually the courgette lets out a lot of moisture.
- Now make the tempering. Put a small frying pan over a medium heat and add a glug of oil, or a scoop of coconut oil.
- When the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for a few seconds. (If you’re not sure the oil is sufficiently hot, just put a few in the pan first.)
- Now add the asafoetida and the onion - don’t let the asafoetida burn.
- Cook for about a minute and then add the ginger, garlic and green chilli. Cook until the onion becomes translucent.
- Now add the chopped tomato and cook for a further couple of minutes.
- By now the courgette should have softened. Check the texture, taste to see there is sufficient salt and then pour in the tempering.
- Mix it in and cook of a further 5 minutes.
Traditionally, this curry is served
with roti or naan, but you can serve it with rice if you’d
rather.
Notes:
- If you can’t get chana dal, then yellow split peas will work fine. They may cook a little more quickly, so it’s probably worth letting the pressure off after 5 minutes and checking them.
- Use 1 clove garlic, finely chopped instead of the paste
- Use 1/2 tsp ginger, grated instead of paste.
- Use a few cherry tomatoes, halved, instead of the chopped tomato.