Coconut dhal

Coconut dhal

Red lentils get a big boost in flavour with this Thai-influenced dhal recipe

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Cook time

Cook 30 mins

Ready in 30 mins
Vegetarian

Vegetarian

Method

  1. Put the lentils, coconut milk, the chopped onion, tomatoes, chillies and turmeric in a pan with 300ml water, season and simmer for 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender.
  2. Fry the sliced onion in 4 tbsp oil until crisp, add the curry leaves (or coriander) and mustard seeds and sizzle together.
  3. Pour over the lentils. Serve with flatbread.

Per serving

407 kcalories, protein 18.2g, carbohydrate 45.7g, fat 18.1 g, saturated fat 14g, fibre 4.4g, salt 0.35 g

Recipe from olive magazine, March 2005.

Try 3 issues of Good Food magazine for £3 - subscribe now!

Latest comments and suggestions

Results 1-20

  • 2008-02-23 18:21:42.148887

    ElisabethB rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    leaving off the topping of fried onion and spices this is a lovely comforting supper. i have made it many times on its own with rice or as part of a feast!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 2008-03-01 11:56:38.280791

    steve rated this recipe

    5 stars

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 2008-03-17 17:44:32.62439

    sally rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    I usually make plain dhal, this made a nice change although I added a couple of tea spoons of curry paste as it was a little too mild in flavour for us, but I will make it again sometime.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 2008-05-13 16:46:09.507324

    Cookery Book rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Served this with the Chicken Masala for a party, and even got the teenage lads ("what are lentils?") eating it. Tasted gorgeous and so easy to make - just tip everything in and leave to simmer.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 2008-07-04 10:31:39.469918

    mojitobabe commented on this recipe

    er... how is this Thai!!!.. this is a traditional Indian/ Sri Lankan dish made regarly by South East Asian people..not far eastern people. Coconut milk is widely used in Sri Lankan dishes. Thai people don't do lentils ;0)

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 2008-07-06 18:07:27.253246

    Nina commented on this recipe

    This is really easy to make and very tasty - however, it is not very spicy, so if you like your dhal with a kick or intend to eat it with something blandish, like rice or plain naan, Id suggest adding a squidge more of each of the spices.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 2008-07-13 12:26:36.933756

    Anne rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Loved it! Will definintely make again.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 2008-07-14 06:41:10.517131

    Belle rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Me too, will definitely put this one into the 'rotation'. Even my husband loved this and he would normally avoid even the mention of lentils!! I told him what was in it AFTER he said he loved it...

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 2008-07-15 23:22:32.038189

    Philippa rated and commented on this recipe

    2 stars

    I'm used to BGF recipes being simple and amazing but this was a disapointment. I didn't use as much chilli as stated but even taking that into account it was bland. added a lot of salt and even a squeeze of lime to give it a boost. Even then I ate my supper a little glumly tonight :-( Maybe some corriander seed and cumin might perk it up a bit?

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 2008-08-18 14:25:56.241905

    iwantpie rated this recipe

    5 stars

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 2008-09-08 11:20:32.304463

    Swedish Anna rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This is a great recipe - I make it again and again. I fry the onion in just 1 tbsp of oil to make it healthier, and add some chopped fresh coriander.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 2008-09-16 19:50:31.367882

    harapeko rated this recipe

    5 stars

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 2008-09-23 21:20:19.172761

    alice commented on this recipe

    Loved it! Even my 3 year old son liked although it's spicy for him. I did a few changes to the original recipe though: - instead of the handful of fresh curry leaves, I added coriander seeds - and I didn't do step 2 "fry the sliced onion in 4 tbsp oil until crisp, add the curry leaves (or coriander) and mustard seeds and sizzle together.", so no mustard seeds as I didn't have any. If you want to see a picture of what I cooked, look at my blog: http://aliceayel.posterous.com/using-red-lentils-in-a-tasty-c

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 2008-10-06 12:43:50.644288

    Melanie commented on this recipe

    i tried this recipe last week..So easy to make and utterly delicious. i left out the fried onions but was still very tasy. I served it with my own recipe of indian rice. Will definitely make it again :-)

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 2008-11-19 18:52:14.055857

    Sarah P rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I often serve this with a drier lamb curry but I recommend the onions, mustard seeds and curry leaves - they add so much more texture and flavour especially if you can get fresh curry leaves - delicious!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 2009-01-24 09:38:07.500925

    samsfood rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    I enjoyed this but found it a little bland. I didn't use as much chilli as recommended but mine were very hot! I found that adding a squirt of tomato puree lifted it a bit. But as it it was served with Lamb Saag and my own verson of vegetable biryani, the 'blandness' didn't matter too much. If I was eating it on its own I think I would have to experiment with the flavours.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 2009-03-07 14:39:31.345927

    Wendys Food rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Superb taste - a real favourite

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 2009-04-19 09:40:14.434863

    jaimee commented on this recipe

    I increased the amount of cocnut milk by 100ml, mashed the lentils a tiny bit, reduced the chilli content by half and added 1/2 cup of chicken stock... now my 2 year old can enjoy good food with her family too :)

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 2009-05-20 20:27:16.284514

    jenny rated this recipe

    4 stars

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Aku

    2009-05-24 19:06:55.794593

    Aku rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Have made this loads of times and it's always delicious. I don't bother with the curry leaves and use red instead of green chillies. It's a great winter lunch--take it to work and heat it up in the microwave then eat it with some warm wholemeal pita bread; lovely!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Leave a comment or suggestion

You must sign in or register to leave a comment.

Sign in / Register

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Cook time

Cook 30 mins

Ready in 30 mins
Vegetarian

Vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 250g red lentils (also called masoor dal or Egyptian lentils)
  • 400ml coconut milk
  • a handful of fresh curry leaves (find these in the herb section, an Asian grocers, or use coriander leaves)
  • flatbread , to serve
  • 2 medium chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 2-3 long pointy green chillies , sliced
  • 2 tsp black mustard seeds
  • 2 onions , one finely chopped, one sliced
Print this recipe
Add to your binder

Per serving

407 kcalories, protein 18.2g, carbohydrate 45.7g, fat 18.1 g, saturated fat 14g, fibre 4.4g, salt 0.35 g

Advertisement

Your binder

Here are three other great reasons why to sign up:

  • You get an online binder, where you can store all your favourite recipes and create menus.

Follow Good Food

Advertisement

All about Good Food

Magazine

Good Food Magazine

Subscribe to Good Food magazine - enjoy 100+ triple-tested recipes delivered to your door, every month.

Order today, and receive your first 3 issues for just £3

On TV

Foodie TV

See your favourite chefs on Sky Channel 247, Virgin TV 260 and find their recipes at goodfoodchannel.co.uk.

Good Food Apps

Good Food Apps

For Good Food on the go, download our apps to your phone or portable device.
Find out more here

Buy ingredients

With just one click, the full list of recipe ingredients will be put into a basket at your choice of provider. Choose from:

mySupermarket Compare prices and choose a retailer you wish to buy them from.

Ocado Let Ocado deliver all you need for this recipe, right to your door

Tesco Buy all the ingredients from our recipes through your Tesco online shop.

new

Asda Shop with Asda? You can now buy ingredients for our recipes via your Asda online shop.

In association with the above providers. Terms and conditions apply.

Close