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Meera’s Malaysian dal curry with quick paratha recipe

Meera’s Malaysian dal curry with quick paratha recipe

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Created by The Kitchen

Meera Sodha brought one of her classic recipes to The Kitchen, cooking it with Greg and Seema. The rich, spiced lentil curry is simmered with coconut milk, tamarind and warming aromatics, while the quick “cheat’s” parathas make it perfectly approachable for a midweek meal. Comforting, fragrant and full of flavour, it’s a dish that showcases Meera’s knack for turning traditional Indian recipes into something simple and utterly delicious. See method

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 10 fresh (or frozen) curry leaves
  • 1 stick lemongrass, bruised
  • 2 star anise​
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • 1½ tsp Kashmiri chilli flakes (or chilli powder)
  • 1½ tbsp tomato purée
  • 300g red lentils
  • 1¼ tsp fine sea salt
  • 2 medium carrots (about 150g), peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
  • 1 x 400ml tin coconut milk
  • 1½ tbsp tamarind paste
  • chilli oil, to serve

For the quick paratha

  • plain flour, for dusting
  • 500g block puff pastry
If you don't have red lentils, you can try using green lentils instead

Each serving contains

  • Energy

    4255kj
    1019kcal     51%

  • Fat

    52g 74%

  • Saturates

    27g 133%

  • Sugars

    12g 13%

  • Salt

    3.2g 53%

of the reference intake
Carbohydrate 99.1g Protein 29.5g Fibre 18.6g

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium-high heat, then add the curry leaves, lemongrass and star anise. Add the onion and cook for 5-6 mins until softened, then stir in the garlic and cook for 2 more mins. 
  2. Add the spices, tomato purée, lentils and salt, stirring briefly to combine. Add the chopped carrots, coconut milk and fill the empty coconut milk tin twice with tap water. Simmer gently for 20–25 mins until the lentils are tender. 
  3. Stir in the tamarind and adjust the seasoning. 
  4. To make the quick parathas (see our tip below about freezing), flour your work surface and divide the pastry into approx 60g pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, dust with flour, and roll out to 18-20cm rounds. 
  5. Cook the parathas in a hot pan for 1½ mins, flipping every 30 secs, until golden and cooked through. 
  6. Ladle the dal into bowls, top with crispy chilli oil and serve with the warm parathas.

Tip: This recipe pairs perfectly with Seema's tofu and spinach murtabaks

Freezing and defrosting guidelines

You can freeze the uncooked and cooked parathas. To freeze the uncooked parathas, place the rolled-out parathas between sheets of greaseproof paper and place in a freezer bag. You can also freeze the cooked parathas. To cook, reheat from frozen in a hot pan. Brush with a little oil to prevent sticking. In order to enjoy optimum flavour and quality, frozen items are best used within 3 months of their freezing date. For more tips on freezing and defrosting food, read our article Love Your Freezer.

See more recipes from The Kitchen

As part of a healthy balanced diet, we recommend this recipe for a special occasion or treat.

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