Red lentil dhal with aubergines and chickpeas

A delicious vegan recipe for red lentil dhal with aubergines and chickpeas. Healthy and budget-friendly yet at the same time hearty and warming you will love this simple curry recipe.

Dhal is a brilliant vegan staple

Dhal is something of a staple dinner at my house – just as it is across most of the Indian subcontinent. My house isn’t in India though, it’s in the less exotic south London.

Cheap yet delicious, healthy yet filling, for me dhal is one of my favourite comfort meals.

You can make dhal many different ways – green lentils, yellow lentils, black lentils can all feature.

Sometimes dhal contains tomatoes, sometimes it doesn’t.

Red lentil dhal is the one we make the most

I make dhal most often with red lentils. They break down really well to create an almost soupy texture.

The base recipe for the dhal that I’ve used here is the one I usually make. It can be enjoyed just as it is but here I’ve made it a bit more special by adding roasted aubergines and chickpeas to the mix.

Adding aubergine and chickpeas makes this dhal extra special

These two extra ingredients make it really wonderful and if you haven’t tried this before I definitely recommend that you do.

Don’t be put off by the ingredients list. It looks long but it’s not a difficult recipe to make.

What to serve with this dhal

It can be served with rice as pictured (this is a brown rice and wild rice mix). Alternatively serve with roti or other Indian-style flatbread, which are perfect for mopping up those last bits of dhal in the bowl.
If you like this you might like my beetroot and sweet potato curry or this vegan aloo gobi (potato and cauliflower curry).

MORE VEGAN CURRY RECIPES

• Green bean curry with coconut
• Aubergine and chickpea curry
• Potato and spinach curry (saag aloo)
• Sri Lankan okra curry
• Tandoori cauliflower curry
• Sweet potato and beetroot curry
• Aloo gobi
• Indian-spiced root vegetable curry

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How to make red lentil dhal with aubergine and chickpeas

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Red lentil dhal with aubergine and chickpeas

A delicious vegan recipe for red lentil dhal with aubergines and chickpeas. Healthy and budget-friendly yet at the same time hearty and warming you will love this simple curry recipe.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Keyword red lentil dhal

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 4

Author Mandy Mazliah

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp mustard seeds
• 1 aubergine diced
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 green chilli finely chopped
• Small handful fresh coriander roughly chopped
• Thumb-sized piece ginger finely chopped
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
• 200 g red lentils
• 700 ml boiling water
• 400 g tinned chickpeas
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• salt to taste
• fresh coriander leaves to serve

Metric - US customary

Instructions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (fan)/200°C/gas mark 6.

2. Place the diced aubergine, the cumin and mustard seeds and the sunflower oil into a roasting tin and roast for 40 minutes, stiring half way, or until cooked.

3. Place the onion, garlic, chilli, coriander, ginger with 2 tbsp cold water into a small food processor and pulse until combined into a paste. You could also do this step in a pestle and mortar.

4. Heat the remaining sunflower oil in a large saucepan and add the mustard and cumin seeds. Cook over a medium heat until the mustard seeds begin to pop.

5. Add the paste, stir well and cook for a minute or two until it thickens slightly. Add the turmeric and stir.

6. Next add the chopped tomatoes, the lentils and 500ml of the boiling water. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer for around 20 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked. Add the rest of the water gradually if it is becoming too thick.

7. When cooked stir in the aubergine and add the chickpeas and garam masala. Season to taste with salt and fresh coriander. 

8. Serve with rice or flatbreads.

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