This Dish is regarded as special , and is served on special occasions. It originated from the Persians and has been passed down many generations. It is a dish based on lentils with various fruits and vegetables, also with meat added, but would make a fine vegetarian meal.
It is usually finished with lemon juice and Jaggery (but we will use sugar here) to give it a sweet and sour overtone.
Serves 4
Preparation time 15 minutes, Cooking time 1 hour, Overall time 1 hour 15 minutes.
Recipe Difficulty level - Beginner-Friendly / Intermediate Cook
Special equipment - None
Heat level - Mild - Medium
Dhansak is a popular Indian dish and can be made with mutton, goat or lamb but here with this we are going to use chicken. Dhansak is made with a mixture of lentils and vegetables the lentils can be cooked and soaked from scratch or from using leftover tarka dhall. With this chicken dhansak recipe we will start from scratch.
Ooh my favourite Curry Magic Dish! Chicken Dhansak - Val Oliver
For me I always enjoyed the pineapple chunks in this dish giving that burst of "sweetness" combined with hot spices balancing the flavour! "a bit of a hot and sweet" kind of thing.
I first experimented with cooking this dish for the sake of variety, and a friend asked if I could make it for one of our curry parties? me being me, willingly obliged, and I have to say that I now make it quite often.
Chicken Dhansak Recipe
Ingredients:
2-4 chicken breasts (one per person)
4 tablespoons of ghee or coconut oil
1 large onion thickly sliced
1 inch piece of ginger grated
4 cloves of garlic crushed
3 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon chilli powder
2-3 ladles of basic curry gravy
1 teaspoon of Celtic or Himalayan salt
1 desert spoon of sugar
1 teaspoon garam masala
Chopped Coriander leaves
For the dhall (lentils)
250g of mixed lentils (Red, yellow or Green) or you can use pulses but you need to soak them overnight
Vegetables
1 aubergine chopped
Pineapple cubes
Sweet cherry tomatoes
How to make Chicken Dhansak
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Wash and chop the aubergine, add a good amount of salt to 'Bleed' the pieces (this will take away the bitterness and remove some of the water) let it stand for half an hour then rinse well in cold water, dry with a tea towel.
Pick through the lentils to make sure there are no small stones or foreign particles, then wash the lentils thoroughly and drain well. In a large pan bring 1 litre of water to the boil, and add the lentils, bring back to the boil. Reduce the heat then simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until soft. Skim off any scum that forms the top of the pan. The lentils should look quite dry and stodgy, if necessary strain them through a sieve and allow to cool a little. When cool use a 'potato masher' and mash the lentils to a course texture, or you can leave the lentils whole if you prefer.
Meanwhile prepare all of the other ingredients, mix the spices together, slice the onions and so on.
In a large pan heat the oil over a medium heat and add the sliced onions, crushed garlic and grated ginger, fry gently until the onions are just beginning brown. Next add the ground coriander, cumin, turmeric and chili powder, lower the heat and gently fry, adding a splash of water from time to time, to stop the spices from burning.
Now add the cubed chicken and stir frequently until the chicken changes colour, when this is done add the basic curry gravy and stir in. You can now add the cooked dhall mix and the vegetables with a little water, be careful not to add too much (you can add more later if it becomes dry) and simmer for 20 minutes.
When the chicken is cooked add the salt, pineapple cubes, cherry tomatoes, and cook for another few minutes.
Finally finish the dish with the sugar, lemon juice and the garam masala, add in a handful of chopped coriander leaves and serve.
Goes well with:
Please leave a comment below to share your own experience in preparing this recipe.
Cheers Steve.
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