Dhal is a weekly staple in every Sri Lankan home. I used to always look forward to that Saturday breakfast of Parippu ( and Paan) that my nanny used to make. When she moved out of Colombo permanently I missed her Dhal curry (and her constant nagging) dearly.
So I learnt how to make Dhal (thanks to my friend Maneshka). It’s the perfect starting dish for the novice cook (especially those I’ve-never-held-a-kitchen-knife-in- my-life-cases).
It’s absolutely straightforward and really easy to make.
Dal Curry - Spicy
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Ingredients
½ cup Masoor Dhal
1 cup water
1 medium size onion
2 green chilies
1 clove of garlic
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp of grated ginger
1 tbs of lime juice
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp of turmeric
2 tsp of chilli pieces
1 tsp of chilli powder (roasted)
1 tsp of vegetable oil
1 – 1 ½ tsp of salt
coconut milk
Curry leaves (10)
pandan (Rampe) leaf
Directions
Fine dice the onion, garlic and green chilies (I cut the chilies slightly thicker).
Place the Dhal in a pot, add the oil, water, turmeric powder, salt, and cinnamon stick and bring to boil then simmer.
Separately, heat a little oil (1 tsp), then add the muster seeds and allow to splutter.
Add the curry leaves, onions, garlic, green chilies, ginger, chili pieces, pandan leaf pieces and fry until onions are soft.
Add the boiled dhal, chili powder to the sauté and stir in.
Then add the coconut milk and let cook for a few minutes before leaving to simmer.
Squeeze the lime juice over the Dhal, just before you turn the heat off.
Disasters, Warnings and Tips:
I got this right the first time itself, so no massive disaster (I am openly proud of myself).
Coconut milk usually washes away the salt. You might need to add a bit more, even a little more tumeric for colour.
If it tastes too salty, drop a raw piece of potato in to the curry. It soaks the excess salt.
My father strongly opposed me giving this recipe in. His reaction was “Aiyo your teaching Sri Lankans to cook Parippu? They get enough Parippu from the government no. Ba ha ha ha”. I did laugh as well. I have a weakness for lame jokes.
Use a medium high flame throughout the process.
Excess roasted chili powder will make your curry look darker.
By Shazzana Hamid
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0 Comments
Tee says:
May 25, 2013 at 12:00 amI must say I am going to try out your parippu recipe this weekend!