Warm up with Mira Manek's yellow daal

For a simple yet satisfying daal recipe that works any time of year, try Mina's, packed full of flavour and heart-healthy spices

Mira Manek's Yellow Daal recipe

Natalie Seldon @prettyediblestylist

Published: Thursday 14th November 2019

Serves 2

Preparation time 10 minutes

Cooking time 30 minutes

In the mood for a comforting, wholesome and enriching dinner dish that takes just a few minutes to make and is jam-packed full of legumes, veggies and spices? Then you can't go far wrong with this yellow spinach and ginger daal, taken from Mira Manek's new book Prajna ~ Ayurvedic Rituals for Happiness.

There’s really nothing quite as comforting as a daal, especially on a chilly day. This recipe's USP? It's incredibly simple and yet still packs a punch with it's flavours, delivering a mellow ginger, turmeric and cumin tick and a creamy hit of spinach for bite. If you've tried a yellow tadka daal before, often gracing the menu at local Indian curry houses, then you'll know what to expect, aside from this daal is calmer in flavour, perfect for a post-work supper.

Mira's top tips for perfecting this daal first time round: stir the spinach in right at the end to retain a little of its crunch, and add a little coconut milk if you want to make it creamier, but it’s also perfect just as it is.

Ingredients

  • 150g yellow lentils, moong daal 
  • 1 litre water
  • 1 tsp oil
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • ½ tsp salt, to taste
  • 1 small piece of fresh ginger thinly sliced
  • 1 large handful of spinach leaves
  • A few tbsp coconut milk, optional

Method

  1. Rinse the lentils a few times under cold running water to get rid of any extra starch.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the oil and cook the cumin seeds for around a minute until a darker brown, then add the turmeric powder and grated ginger and immediately pour in the yellow lentils and water.
  3. Boil on a low to medium heat for 30 minutes, adding salt, spinach leaves and thin ginger slices, until the lentils are soft and cooked, stirring
    regularly.
  4. If using coconut milk, add this at the end when the lentils are cooked and the water seems to be soaked up.
  5. Serve with rice and yoghurt or green coriander and cashew chutney.

Recipe from Prajna ~ Ayurvedic Rituals for Happiness; photography by Natalie Seldon. Published by Headline.

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