Guest Recipe: Seema Pankhania's 'Mum's Emergency 10-Minute Dal'
A comforting classic in record time
For this week’s guest recipe, we’re featuring a gem from Craveable by Seema Pankhania: her mum’s emergency 10-Minute Dal. This incredible recipe was born out of a friendly challenge when her mum’s friend, craving dal while under the weather, doubted it could be made from scratch in just 10 minutes. Rising to the occasion, Seema’s mum proved her wrong—and the rest is history!
Full of bold, comforting flavours and ready in record time, this dish is a lifesaver for busy days. Serve it with rice or enjoy on its own—it’s the quick, satisfying meal you’ll want on repeat!
To see more of Seema’s recipes be sure to follow her on Instagram.
MUM’S EMERGENCY 10-MINUTE DAL
{v,nf,pb,df,gf}
THE INGREDIENTS
250g split red lentils
300g tinned chopped tomatoes
8cm ginger
8 cloves of garlic
1⁄2 tsp cumin seeds
1⁄2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp chilli powder
a small handful of fresh coriander, chopped 3 green chillies
3 sprigs of curry leaves
vegetable oil
salt and pepper
THE METHOD
Begin by putting the red lentils into a large pan and rinsing them with hot tap water at least three times, until the water runs almost clear. It’s important that the water is warm; this helps the lentils cook faster. Drain the lentils, put them back into the pan and add 750ml of warm water. Bring to the boil, then boil for 7 minutes on a high heat.
While the lentils are cooking, use a handheld blender to blend the chopped tomatoes, half the ginger and 4 cloves of garlic.
Pour a good amount of vegetable oil into a large pan and add the cumin seeds. Wait for them to start sizzling and dancing around the pan, then carefully pour in the blended tomatoes. Add the turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, chilli powder and 2 teaspoons of salt, and cook on a medium heat for at least 7 minutes, or until the dal is fully cooked.
To check if the dal is ready, press a few of the lentils between your fingers to see if they are tender. Add the cooked dal with its liquid to the pan of curried tomatoes and mix well. If it’s too thick, add 150ml more water to reach your desired consistency.
Taste for seasoning and stir in three-quarters of the chopped coriander.
In the meantime, thinly slice the remaining 4 cloves of garlic, halve the green chillies and cut the remaining ginger into matchsticks.
To make the tarka, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a small pan and gently cook the garlic until it turns golden. Add the chillies and cook for 15 seconds, then add the curry leaves. Cook for about 10 seconds, until they turn bright green, then immediately pour this aromatic mix over the dal. Cover with a lid and let the flavours infuse until you’re ready to eat.
Finish with the matchsticked ginger and the rest of the chopped coriander, and serve with fluffy basmati rice.
Abbreviations: v- Vegetarian, pb - Plant based, gf - Gluten Free, nf - Nut free, df - Dairy free.
Extracted from Craveable by Seema Pankhania (Penguin Michael Joseph, £22). All photography by Haarala Hamilton.
