RECIPE : simple spicy butternut dhal

happy hump day guys !

first of all, thank you so much for all the comments, ideas, suggestions, kind words and encouragement yesterday. i still haven’t decided on which hair style to choose, but i feel way better about the current cut thanks to your compliments ^^

ok, let’s move on to today’s recipe. the dhal.
this version is basically spicy lentils in a pot with tomatoes, butternut squash, savoy cabbage and mushrooms. it’s very simple food. clear humble flavours, hot and comforting.

it’s basically the same recipe as in the only tomato sauce you’ll ever need video, but with added ingredients. i swear, i use that recipe every week !

there are so many ways you can vary this recipe, we just made it with the simple ingredients we had manage to collect here in berlin. i like making a lot of this, and just keeping it in the fridge. it has already become a new everyday habit to have a bowl of this ( or something similar ) for lunch. it’s filling without being heavy. it’s warming and spicy, yet tummy friendly.

we’ve been having it with white basmati rice these last few days. normally i prefer brown rice, because of its nutritional value, but we just didn’t have time to cook it the other night, since we were so busy with moving in and all.

however, i you have a sensitive tummy, white basmati is incredibly kind. and if you ease up a little on the spices this dhal is great in that sense too.

regarding serving sizes :
i don’t like to write out how many servings my recipes make. i do write it out sometimes to give an idea, and when i don’t mention serving sizes i get a lot of questions.

but here’s the thing, you know better how much your body needs than i do. just eat until you’re full and then stop eating. the amount of dhal you’ll need to be happy depends on so many things – are you having it for lunch or dinner ? are you working out, or are you a couch potato ? are you serving it with bread or rice, or just as it is ? what else are you eating today ? you get what i mean. just listen to your body’s signals.

simple spicy butternut dhal
2 onions. chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tbsp tomato paste
4 – 6 dates (depending on size), chopped
250 ml / 1 cup crimini mushrooms, quartered
1 small, or 1/2 large butternut squash, peeled and diced
butternut seeds, rinsed
curry powder, to taste
chili flakes, to taste
about 1 tbsp dried coriander / cilantro
salt & pepper, to taste
1000 ml tomato passata
300 ml / 1.25 cup red lentils ( dried, not cooked ), rinsed
about 300 ml / 1.25 cup water
500 ml / 2 cups savoy cabbage, shredded

serving suggestions :
rice, nutritional yeast, white miso paste, lime / lemon

– in a large pot, add the onion and garlic and sauté in a little bit of water for a few minutes. add dates, mushrooms, butternut squash dices and tomato paste, and season with curry powder, chili flakes, coriander, salt and pepper. start with a little bit of the spices, you can always add more later. let sauté for a few minutes, until the tomato paste starts to dry and stick slightly to the bottom of the pot.
– add lentils, tomato passata ( or crushed tomatoes ), and about half of the water. bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low. cover and let simmer for about 30 minutes, until the butternut squash and lentils are soft. fold in the savoy cabbage and let cook with the dhal the last few minutes. add more water if needed, and give it a taste – adding more spices as you please, i like mine spicy !
– while the dhal simmers away, heat a pan to medium heat and toast the rinsed butternut seeds with a pinch of salt until lightly browned.
– serve the dhal hot topped with butternut seeds. i love adding a little bit of white miso paste ( i know it’s kind of weird ), tons of nutritional yeast, and a healthy squeeze of lime or lemon juice. delicious with rice or bread, or just as it is.

hope you enjoyed this recipe, and that you’re staying warm in this horrible cold. well i shouldn’t complain about plus 2 degrees here in berlin, when stockholm is expected to have minus 20 this weekend !
hang in there swedish readers, spring is coming ^^

love // jenny

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and check out these other warming curry recipes !