Photo Recipe - Indian Tarka Dhal

Tarka Dhal is one of the best things in life. A warm comforting bowl of this will cheer you up no end after a long day at work and make you full of cheer, even though it is dark before you come home. It is also a very good one pot dish you can make on Sunday and eat for a few days in the week with a few veggies or a grilled piece of fish or meat to give you the necessary vitamins and minerals.

1. Take 1 large white onion and cut it up roughly. Cut up 2 medium sized tomatoes, skin on, and add both of these to a around a litre of cold tap water.





2. Take some yellow split peas. I find the ones from Sainsbury's ironically better than the ones from the Asian supermarkets, since they tend to melt down better into a nice soupy mush which is how I personally like it. Rinse the split peas in running cold tap water (like rice). Add to the pan with the onion and tomato.




3. Add 1 teaspoon of ground chilli power and 2 teaspoons of ground turmeric powder.




4. Add a couple of small fresh green chillis (spit down the centre) if you like chilli heat.

5. Boil on a medium to high heat for about 40 minutes or until the split peas are soft. You may need to add more hot water if it runs dry. You should see the edges start to become translucent after about 15 to 20 minutes, which means you are about half way there. Be sure not to add salt during the cooking process as it can make the peas go hard and not melt down which is what we are aiming for here.

5. Prepare your Tarka. Take a separate small saucepan and add around 0.5cm deep of vegetable oil. Add 1 chopped white onion and cook over a low/medium heat until the onions are dark and caramelised but obviously avoid burning. When the onions are nearly done, add 5 cloves of chopped garlic and a handful of fresh curry leaves (these can be frozen and keep reasonably well in the freezer. I buy mine from an Asian supermarket). I also add a teaspoon of mustard seeds and wait until they pop in the hot oil.

6. Sometimes the peas need a bit of a helping hand and I whizz them with a hand blender for a few seconds, making sure I do not liquidise all of the peas.




7. Throw in the Tarka when still hot (it will sizzle) and then stir it in



8. Season.

9. Serve over boiled white basmati rice, adding a dollop of yogurt on the top if your care.