Creamy, warming and oh-so-delicious, this courgette and coconut dal is a vegan delight.
Dals are one of my favourite meals to make. They are forgiving – you can’t go wrong – wonderful flavour carriers and they taste like a lovely warm hug.
This vegetarian curry adds courgette – not a traditional dal ingredient, I’ll admit, but it works so well – and coconut milk for that sweet creaminess. It’s the perfect balance.
The Ingredients
- Whole spices – you will need a bay leaf (fresh is best), cinnamon stick and cumin seeds. These provide a delicious, fragrant base for the dal.
- Ground spices – ground coriander, ground turmeric and garam masala. If you can’t get hold of garam masala, you can use a mild curry powder.
- Fresh spices – I call them spices, but they’re not really! Onion, garlic and ginger are a classic flavour base for dals and you absolutely need them.
- Lentils – red lentils cook fairly quickly from dry and have a lovely nutty and sweet flavour. They work really well here. Use dry lentils, not precooked ones.
- Vegetable stock – or water and a vegetable stock cube.
- Coconut milk – use full fat rather than any reduced fat variety.
- Courgettes – use two medium courgettes. Note – I have fried my courgettes separately here for caramelisation and depth of flavour, but you can cook the courgettes directly in the dal if you like (add them when you add the lentils). They will still be lovely but they won’t have the same intense taste.
- Coriander – fresh coriander is a wonderful final flourish for a dal – do include if you can.
You may also enjoy these curry recipes:
- Bottom-of-the-Freezer Vegetable Dahl
- Slow Cooked Beef Curry
- The Creamiest Butter Halloumi Curry
- Lamb and Spinach Whole Spice Curry
- Vegetable Korma
Courgette and Coconut Dal
A silky, creamy vegan courgette and coconut dal made with red lentils
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 onion peeled and finely chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic peeled and finely chopped
- 2 inches ginger peeled and finely chopped
- 400 grams red lentils
- 800 ml vegetable stock
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 2 courgettes
- 20 grams fresh coriander
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pan. Add the cinnamon stick and bay leaf and cook for 30 seconds before adding the cumin seeds, ground coriander, turmeric and garam masala. Stir, then add the onion, garlic and ginger.
- Turn the heat to low and cook gently for 2-3 minutes before adding the lentils and stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes until the lentils are soft.
- Meanwhile, cut the ends off the courgettes, slice in half lengthways then finely chop. Put in a frying pan with the remaining oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Cook for 8-10 minutes until golden.
- When the lentils are soft, add the coconut milk and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add the chopped fresh coriander.
- To serve, ladle the dal into bowls and top with the caramelised courgette.
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