Nanacy Rajapakes’s Sri Lankan Dhal
You can use more or less coconut milk to taste. I suggest ½ to 1 cup for this amount of dhal. An alternate way to serve this is to omit the coconut milk but add enough water to make a thick coarse puree. Top with some thinly sliced onions and cracked red pepper that have been fried in a little ghee or oil until crispy. Canned coconut milk varies tremendously in quality. Look for a brand that has few (or no) ingredients other than coconut and water. My go-to brand is Aroy-D. See the Notes section below. Dhal can be made ahead and refrigerated, tightly covered. Reheat gently before serving.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 6people | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 30minutes | 3hours |
|
|
Ingredients
- 1cup Mysore dhal
- 1/3 small onionfinely chopped
- 1 small long thin green chilefinely chopped
- 3-4 curry leavesif available
- 1/2inch stick cinnamonbroken
- 1 1/2teaspoons ground coriander seeds
- 3/4teaspoon ground cumin seed
- 1/8teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 – 1cup coconut milkpurchased or home-made
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash and drain the dhal. Cover with cold water and soak for approximately three hours at room temperature. Refrigerate if it will soak longer.
- When ready to cook the dhal, drain and rinse again.
- Add fresh water to cover the dhal by approximately ½ inch.
- Add all the other ingredients except the coconut milk
- Simmer, partially covered, till soft, approximately 20-30 minutes.
- Most of the water should be absorbed by this point. If not, boil quickly uncovered to evaporate the excess.
- Add coconut milk and salt to taste.
- Simmer gently until slightly thickened. Taste and adjust salt.
Recipe Notes
Aroy-D is an excellent choice if you are going to purchase, and not make, coconut milk.
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