{"id":5300,"date":"2018-06-29T10:05:06","date_gmt":"2018-06-29T16:05:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/villasentieri.com\/?post_type=recipe&p=5300"},"modified":"2026-09-02T10:58:42","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T17:58:42","slug":"nanacy-rajapakses-sri-lankan-dhal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/2018\/06\/29\/nanacy-rajapakses-sri-lankan-dhal\/","title":{"rendered":"Nanacy Rajapakse’s Sri Lankan Dhal"},"content":{"rendered":"

June 29, 2018<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Who knew dhal could be so complicated?<\/p>\n

I discovered dhal in college.\u00a0 This was mostly during my junior year which provided an amazing, non-stop culinary experience as I lived in the International Residence Project at the University of Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

Dhal refers both to the main ingredient and to the preparation.\u00a0 Let\u2019s deal with the main ingredient for a bit.<\/p>\n

I’ve typically thought of dhal as a synonym for the word \u201cpulse\u201d which, in common, everyday American English, we rarely use.\u00a0 A pulse is the dried seed of a legume.\u00a0 Think lentil, dried beans, chickpeas, and so forth.<\/p>\n

So far so good.<\/p>\n

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Usually, but not always, a dried legume only becomes dhal if it is split.\u00a0 So, split red lentils (used in this dish) would be dhal but the whole ones would not.\u00a0 In Indian cookery the word \u201cgram\u201d refers to the whole legume that, if split, would be \u201cdhal.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the Wikipedia entry on legumes, the \u201cterm \u2018pulse,\u2019 as used by the United Nations\u2019 Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), is reserved for crops harvested solely for the dry seed. \u00a0This excludes green beans and green peas, which are considered vegetable crops.\u201d\u00a0 Peruse any Indian cookbook however, and you\u2019ll see the term dhal applied to dried split peas just as readily as it is to lentils, which are only harvested to be used dried (unlike peas).\u00a0 So much for the distinction that the crop only be used for the dry seed.<\/p>\n

I suppose one shouldn\u2019t be surprised.\u00a0 The names of different foods vary from region to region and usage is not necessarily consistent.<\/p>\n

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Split red lentils, referred to as Mysore dhal or a variant of the spelling<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While there might be disagreements, need I say confusion, about what constitutes dhal, the dried (and maybe split) legume, the preparation of the dish itself is pretty straightforward.<\/p>\n

To turn dhal into dhal, you boil it with flavoring ingredients such as aromatics and herbs and spices.\u00a0 The resultant dish can have the consistency of porridge or soup or anything in between but it is clearly, and unmistakably, dhal.<\/p>\n

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My initial introduction to dhal was Indian.\u00a0 Channa dhal, a smaller relative of the chickpea (called channa in Hindi) looks pretty much like yellow split peas, which, by the way, are a very good substitute for channa dhal.\u00a0 My introduction to dhal made from channa dhal (I know, it\u2019s confusing) came initially from Maharaja, the first Indian restaurant in Philadelphia (circa 1972).\u00a0 The restaurant was actually owned by the aunt of someone with whom I now work.\u00a0 Small world.\u00a0 Someone who, by the way, actually asked ME for some Indian recipes!!!<\/p>\n

The introduction to dhal deepened after I met Ray Hugh at the end of sophomore year when we were introduced as roommates-to-be in the International Residence Project for our junior year at Penn.\u00a0 We roomed together over the preceding summer.\u00a0 We both cooked.\u00a0 Ray is from Guyana and his cooking reflects the country\u2019s ethnic heritage:\u00a0 Indian, Chinese, African and Amerindian.<\/p>\n

Ray made channa dhal.<\/p>\n

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Frank and I having a seafood-based meal with Nanacy Rajapakse (far right) in Sri Lanka, 2004<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When I actually got into the International Residence Project at the beginning of junior year and tasted Nanacy Rajapakse\u2019s<\/a> Sri Lankan cooking, I was hooked.\u00a0 It\u2019s similar to Indian but actually more aromatic and possibly more delicately spiced, though often quite firey hot (which is a totally different characteristic from the non-chile herbs and spices that go into a dish).\u00a0 For dhal, Sri Lankans typically use the small split red lentils called Mysore or Masoor dhal.\u00a0 They cook up quickly.\u00a0 The final consistency is more like porridge than soup.<\/p>\n

Over the coming months, I\u2019m going to post a number of Sri Lankan dishes.\u00a0 If you\u2019re culturally adventurous you might want to give them a try.\u00a0 At the end of the series you\u2019ll be able to pull together an entire meal that would satisfy anyone from Sri Lanka!

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Nanacy Rajapakes's Sri Lankan Dhal<\/h2>\n
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You can use more or less coconut milk to taste. I suggest \u00bd 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.<\/div>\n
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Prep Time <\/span>10 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Cook Time <\/span>30 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Total Time <\/span>3 hours<\/span><\/span> hrs<\/span> 40 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
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Servings: <\/span>6<\/span> people<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Ingredients
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