It’s hot and sour with a hint of sweetness. This is Passion Fruit Dhal. It is not your everyday dhal. If you like flavour combinations like sweet and sour, hot and sour, then, you are definitely going to like this dhal.
It is not unusual to add a squirt of fresh lemon juice at the end of the cooking process of dhal, particularly those made with any type of yellow legumes – yellow moong, channa dal, toor dal, masoor dal or split peas – but the level of tartness is subtle, a mere whisper of something there, complementing the natural flavour of the peas seasoned and finished with hot spiced oil, known as tarka/tadka. The idea for this passion fruit dhal is credited to Chetna Makan of Waitrose and “The Great British Baking Show” fame. Her recipe appeared in last month’s issue of a food magazine focusing on seasonal eating.
Did I ever mention that I love dhal? I do! And I make dhal with all types of legumes; one of my favourites and go-to is Masoor dhal (red lentils) that cooks up in no time and does not require pre-soaking. A couple of years ago I wrote telling you how I make dhal mine because of the variety and combination of pulses, the texture, tadka (spiced oil) combinations and the addition of various vegetables and some fruits such as mangoes to my dhal.
We are in the season of Lent and Friday was Phagwah, so I wanted to make something different for my Friday vegetarian meal and this passion fruit dhal delivered on that. The original recipe was rather minimalist, but you know how we do (and should); we adapt things to suit our taste, putting our twist on them. That’s part of the fun and interesting thing about cooking.
I ate my version of this passion fruit dhal first as a soup and then I had it with rice and fried okra and fried callaloo (spinach). The tart dhal complements these vegetables very well. You don’t need achar to accompany your meal with this dhal because the heat, tartness and spices are all built in. This dhal meal would be even more finger-licking good with rice and bunjal shrimp (preferably white belly) or some crisp fried Netley or Suriname mullet. Seriously, Guyanese food is awesome.
Here’s my recipe for this Hot & Sour Passion Fruit Dhal
INGREDIENTS
● 4 tablespoons oil
● 1 cup finely chopped onions
● 1 cup finely chopped fresh tomatoes
● 6 – 8 large Mai-wiri peppers (or more or less to suit your
taste)
● Salt to taste
● 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
● 2 heaped cups red lentils
● 6 cups water
● Pulp of 4 passion fruit
● 2 teaspoons brown sugar
For Tadka (to chunkay):
● 3 tablespoons oil
● 2 heaped teaspoons cumin/jeera
● 4 large cloves garlic, sliced thinly
● 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro/coriander (optional and if
available)
DIRECTIONS
1. Add oil to a pot and place over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Tip in the onions, tomatoes, and peppers. Add salt to taste, stir to mix and reduce heat to low and let cook until the onions are soft, the tomatoes are broken down and can be mashed easily with the back of a spoon, and the peppers can be mashed open. This process will take about 7 minutes.
2. Stir in turmeric and continue to cook on low for 3 minutes.
3. Raise the heat back to medium, rinse the lentils and add them to the pot. Stir well to mix and season with salt to taste. Let cook for 2 minutes then pour in water, stir to mix, and bring to a boil. When the pot comes to a boil, cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until the lentils are soft and mushy.
4. Add the pulp of the passion fruit and sugar; stir well to mix, taste for salt and adjust, if necessary, then raise the heat to medium.
5. Meanwhile, heat the oil for the tadka until hot then add the cumin/jeera, let cook for 15 seconds then tip in garlic and cook until the garlic starts to brown (not turn black). If using, add cilantro and immediately pour over the dhal. Stir well to incorporate.
6. Serve immediately or let the dhal sit for 10 – 15 minutes for the flavours to meld before serving.
Enjoy.
Cynthia
