This is by no means a traditional Indian Dahl recipe, the focus is more on fresh aromatics and less on spice, brought together with a large dollop of creamy coconut milk.
This is an ideal recipe to introduce younger palates to and the recipe below can really be used as a base to experiment with.
Served here with fluffy basmati rice, prepared normally and steamed with a cinnamon stick and a few cardamom pods towards the end.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup yellow moong bean dahl – or any split lentil
1 1/4 tsp Golden Spice blend
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 large Red Onion – diced
1 tbsp Garlic – diced
1 tbsp Ginger – grated
1 tbsp Lemongrass – grated
1/4 cup Fresh Coriander – chopped
1 Tbsp coconut oil
200 ml coconut milk or cream (full fat)
Thai Red Chilli (to taste preference); we used 2 chillies with seeds – chopped

Chilli Heat guide

1 chilli deseeded – very mild

2 chillies deseeded – mild

1 chilli with seeds – spicy

2 chillies with seeds – extra spicy

3 chillies with seeds – extra extra spice

The strength of your chillies will be determined on the variety and how many seeds are included to the dish.

Method

Wash and rinse dahl in water until the water runs clear.
Soak dahl 30 min and strain.
Add fresh water to pot, with 3 tsp salt and 3/4 tsp Golden Spice blend.
Cook on medium until soft  – skim surface (20 min).
Add more water as needed.
Remove dahl from pot, strain then mash to desired consistency and set aside.
Rinse pot lightly and in the same pot, add coconut oil on medium heat
Once melted, add cumin and black mustard seeds; fry until fragrant. – 2 min
Add onions, sauté for a few minutes till soft. – 5 min
Add garlic, ginger, lemongrass and chillies, sauté for a few more minutes.
Add dahl back into the pot with coconut milk, chilli flakes and 1/2 tsp Golden Spice blend.
Stir to combine and simmer on medium low, covered for 10 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste and stir through chopped coriander.
Serve with your favourite curry accompaniments and sides.

Side Notes

Add your favourite sautéed vegetables or simply add some wilted spinach in at the end.

This dish stores and freezes well for up to 3 months and can be easily used for meal prep too.

As in other recipes, we suggest you freeze any leftover coconut milk in an ice cube tray for later use in recipes.