Dhal Bhat

Dhal Bhat

1. Clean and wash the spinach leaves and the stems. Discard any leaves or stems that could be woody or not suitable to cook. Reserve about 150g of the softer, younger spinach leaves for the saag omelette. Once washed and drained, chop the bases of the stems finely and set aside, and coarsely chop the leaves.
2. Place a large pot with a lid on a medium-high heat and add 3 tablespoons of the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and stir for roughly two minutes to soften, then add the garlic and ginger paste and stir to cook the mixture for another 5 minutes till the onions turn golden. Add all of the spice powders plus the salt and stir to cook the spices for another minute. Add the stem bases to the onion mix, give it a good stir, cover and cook for roughly 5 minutes to wilt the stems.
3. Add the water, tamarind and the tomato and bring to the boil. Cover the pot and let it simmer for roughly ten to twenty minutes to soften the stems. In the meantime, place a small frying pan on a medium-high heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. When hot, add the cubed tofu and cook, stirring, for roughly ten minutes till golden in colour. Set aside.
4. Wash the lentils till the washing water is clear, roughly three washes, and drain. Add this together with the spinach leaves to the large pot. Bring to the boil and stir well, cover with the lid and simmer for roughly ten minutes. Add the reserved fried tofu and cook with the lid on for another 5 to 10 minutes to allow the tofu to absorb the liquid. Serve with rice and your favourite side dishes, yum!

Saag omelette

1. Place a medium frying pan on the stove with the oil on medium heat and when hot, add the onions and stir to cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in the ginger paste and the chilli and cook a further 5 minutes, or till the onions are soft and golden. In the meantime, season the beaten eggs with half the salt and some pepper if preferred.
2. Add the turmeric to the onion mix, stir, then add the spinach and the remaining salt and pepper. Add the water to the spinach and stir, cover and cook till the spinach has wilted, roughly 3 to 5 minutes. Stir the spinach well to incorporate it with the pan ingredients, then level and spread the spinach out and pour the beaten eggs over it. Do not start mixing, but wait till the eggs settle in the pan for roughly a minute or two, then gently draw the eggs inward for a fluffy omelette and even cooking. Serve with the Dhal Bhat.

Onion & tomato chutney

1. Place a medium pot or frying pan on medium-to-high heat. Add the oil and the mustard and cumin seeds. Stir, and when they start to pop add the onion and cook, stirring, for roughly 5 minutes till golden and translucent. Covering the pan can speed up the process of softening the onion with the steam. Stir in between to avoid burning, or simply lower the heat. After 5 minutes add the tomatoes and the chilli powder and stir-fry for another 5 minutes to soften the tomatoes.
2. Add the remaining ingredients, the salt and the vinegar. Cook uncovered for another 5 minutes on high to reduce any liquid in the pan. Taste and season as required.

This is a “no-waste” dish that uses up all of the spinach, stems and all. We often have this dish for our plant-based diet, with extra protein from the tofu as well as heaps of fibre. It can be made in a slow cooker before leaving for work and you’ll return home to a wholesome easy meal with plenty of leftovers for the next day or for freezing.

The usual condiments and sides for Dhal Bhat are actually quite simple: bought achar and chutneys, small red shallots or Spanish onions, garlic cloves and whole fresh chillies to heighten the flavour of an everyday humble dish. The sides I have created are those I remember from my childhood with my cheeky brother, and when you eat the sides with the main it simply creates its own “umami”. Enjoy!