Traybake Lemon Dal with Pickled Green Chillies

by Anna Jones from Easy Wins: 12 flavour hits, 125 delicious recipes, 365 days of good eating by Anna Jones (4th Estate)

Photography: Matt Russell

Dal is a staple of our weeknight cooking. It’s the dinner I never get bored of. I have a few favourites I make on rotation: coconut, lemon and now this traybaked tomato one. The dal is made in the oven, so it’s very hands-off. The tinned tomatoes are roasted first to give a deeper hit of tomato flavour. Serve this with a pot of rice, some parathas, some salted yoghurt and chutney. Use paneer, or firm tofu.

Serves 4 

Ingredients

For the dal

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes

2 tablespoons ghee or other cooking oil

2 unwaxed lemons

a thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled

8 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced

2 green chillies, sliced

2 teaspoons golden caster sugar

50ml white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon sea salt

a small bunch of coriander (30g), chopped

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

a cinnamon stick

1 tablespoon Kashmiri chilli powder (or ½ teaspoon if using other chilli powders)

1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds

300g split red lentils

1 × 400ml tin coconut milk

800ml hot vegetable stock

250g paneer or firm tofu

Warm rice, parathas or roti, yoghurt and chutney to serve

Method  

Crush the tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan. Add 1 tablespoon coriander seeds and 2 teaspoons cumin seeds to a high-sided baking tray and toast in the oven for 2–4 minutes until fragrant, then remove and tip into a pestle and mortar and crush before returning to the tray. Drain 2 × 400g tins of tomatoes and add to the tray. Use a potato masher or the back of a large spoon/fork to crush the tomatoes to release their juice and flatten them a little, and spread them evenly over the tray.

Add the flavourings and roast

Drizzle over 2 tablespoons ghee or oil, then grate in the zest of 1 unwaxed lemon and 1 thumb of ginger and add 8 thinly sliced cloves of garlic. Toss the tomatoes in the spices and roast for 30 minutes until sticky and intensified in flavour

Make the quick pickle

Put 2 sliced green chillies, 2 teaspoons golden caster sugar, 50ml white wine vinegar and a teaspoon of salt into a small bowl and mix well. Add the zest of a second unwaxed lemon. Stir through a small bunch of chopped coriander, stems and all. Put in the fridge to keep cool.

Add the spices

Once the tomatoes have had their time, remove them from the oven and stir in 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, a cinnamon stick, 1 tablespoon Kashmiri chilli powder and 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds. Put back in the oven for a minute or two to toast the spices.

Add the lentils

Take the tray out of the oven, add 300g split red lentils & pour over a 400ml tin coconut milk &800ml hot vegetable stock Cover tightly with foil & return to the oven for another 40mins

Add the paneer/tofu

After 40 mins, carefully take the tray out of the oven and remove the foil. Stir the dal, then season well with sea salt. Tear 250g firm tofu over the top of the dal, or dot the paneer over the top, and squeeze over the juice of the 2 zested lemons. Return to the oven for a further 15 mins or until the edges of the tofu/paneer begin to turn golden, the dal is creamy & the lentils are soft

Finish with the chilli and serve

Serve with rice, parathas, vegan yoghurt and chutney and the pickled chilli and coriander mixture. Will keep in the fridge for up to 7 days.

Drinks tasted on air, alongside the dish:

https://www.beyondbeliefbrewing.co.uk/products/pasta-pale-ale-copy

https://berobrewing.com/products/kingston-golden-pils