Survival Food: I Couldn't Live without Dal

I'm a little late for the Ladies of Hive Challenge this week, but after reading @conciouscat's post on green smoothies I realised that answering the question about what food I would eat for the rest of my life didn't have to be a single food like mangoes or peanut butter, I started thinking what food I never get sick of. For me, it's dal. Never one to stick to traditional recipes, my dal is always a bit of this and a bit of that.

When facing supply chain issues, it certainly wasn't toilet paper I grabbed, or bread or rice, but lentils. I like going to the Indian grocer to support them, buying all different sorts of dal like yellow split peas (my favourite due to their creaminess), moong and red lentils. Lentils are a good source of protein and easily digestive - even for Jamie, who struggles with his digestion a bit.

The way I make dal is to use different vegetables for added nutrition .. usually what I have in the garden, fresh seeds if I have them (at the moment coriander and fennel), fresh ginger and turmeric (grated), a stick of cinnamon, water, coconut oil and vegan stock. I use Massel. Their chicken stock flavour is actually vegan and tastes great.

A dal will swallow up any greens you put in it, so don't be shy adding kale or silverbeet or spinach. Silverbeet always makes it into mine because there's always a lot in the garden. I use spring onions from the garden as Jamie's sensitive to onions and garlic. Some people use asofoetida as an alternative and he loves it, but that's one of the only things that screws with MY digestion!

I love making a big deal on a Sunday for lunch and dinner when we are busy doing weekend things, and then there's enough left over for lunch and dinner on Mondays too.

Today's dal has grated beetroot, fennel, tomatoes and fresh jalapenos, as that's what I had in the garden. It's also a mix of yellow and red lentils.

Like @carolynstahl, I don't really follow a recipe and hate giving specifics, but here's a basic guide. You might need a little more water if the lentils absorb it quickly - keep an eye on it so the bottom doesn't burn. And if you don't have the spices, omit them - I promise it'll still taste good. Powdered turmeric is fine if you don't have fresh but it's next level with fresh!

Riverflows Dal

2 cups of yellow or red lentils
6 cups water
2 tbsps of coconut oil
1 tbsp of fennel, coriander, mustard,cummin seeds
2 tbsp ground cummon
A chunk of fresh ginger and turmeric, grated
Fennel tops, greens, celery, carrot, zucchini (all or one, use what you have)
2 - 3 large tomatoes or a can of tomatoes (can omit)
Fresh chilli to taste (can omit)
Spring onions or onion and garlic if you can tolerate it
Stock to taste
A cinnamon stick (optional)
Curry leaves (optional)

Melt the coconut oil and fry the spices for about a minute until fragrant. Add the turmeric and ginger, cook for another minute or two. Add the lentil and fry for two minutes, stirring so that they absorb flavour and oil but don't burn. Add the water and stock, and the vegetables. Simmer til the lentils are very soft.

^{This week's dal with garden vegetables, red lentils, chilli and coconut yoghurt}

Serve with a good squeeze of lemon - I don't serve dal without it as it's absolutely next level and brings out the flavour! I like to add chilli flakes and coconut yoghurt to mine, but fried onion with spices and fresh mint is also insanely delicious, as is a fresh slaw with coriander!

^{Dahl with pepitas, coconut, red cabbage and calendula petals}

That's what I love about dal - it's so versatile and adaptable. It's hard to screw it up and it's so good for you. Great for when you're feeling run down or you have a cold coming on - it's like a lentil soup for the soul, like chicken soup for the soul, without the chicken!

^{Green and yellow lentil dahl with dandelion leaves on the camp stove}