Dhal Soup with Rice

This delicious dish has been part of my whole life – we used to get it as a takeaway from Prouds Triangle in Suva when I was a teenager and it was one of the last things I had in Nairobi, at a dinner party held by the Jessani family. This is my best impression, so please get in touch if you have a better version than this. It’s the Jessani dinner party rendition.

500g Toor Dhal (oily kind)

7-10 fenugreek leaves

6 tomatoes, skinned and chopped

2 tsp cumin seeds

6 tsp grated ginger

4 tbsp jaggery or brown sugar if you can’t find it

3 tsp chopped red chillies

1 ½ tsp turmeric

2 tsp garam masala

4 tsp salt

Water – you’ll know how much you need.

Rice

Tempering spices - cumin,  dried chilli, mustard seeds

Coriander Leaves

Mango Pickle

By the way, the Jessani family had a particularly beautiful cousin called Jigu. We talked about football and BMWs. Both subjects I know nothing about.

Bring the lentils to the boil and then drain to get the oil off. The lentils are coated in castor oil to keep insects away. The first boiling will get rid of this. Bring back up to the boil, add the fenugreek and then simmer until soft and breaking up. A pressure cooker wouldn’t be a bad idea if you have one. I don’t at the moment.

In a frying pan heat the cumin seeds in some oil. Add the tomatoes, and once they’re sizzling add everything else except the lentils and garam masala and cook through for two minutes.

This will smell like the real thing so don’t be surprised if he comes sniffing around the kitchen. Add to the lentil pan and bring up to the boil. Don’t let it get too thick – it’s a soup so add more water if you need to. Add the garam masala just before it’s ready.

Blend and let it rest slightly. I blend with a stick blender and by resting you’re looking for a slight separation so the top centimetre looks clear and it’s cloudy/grainy beneath that.

Cook the rice – a rice cooker is one of the gadgets I couldn’t live without. Wash the rice three times first. This is a ritual that takes you back 400 years or more and again is something I couldn’t not do. The rice should be plain so that everything in the soup stands out.

In the same frying pan you did the cumin in add some tempering. If you love him, make this as special as you can. You can always talk him out of that football shirt later. A little oil, some mustard seeds, cumin seeds and dried chilli, flaked up. Sprinkle over the soup and then add some fresh coriander.

Serve the soup with a bowl of rice, taking a spoonful of each as you go. Some oily mango pickle wouldn’t hurt either. Your boy will be in heaven. Act a bit casual about this. Ruffle his hair.