Date and Tamarind Veg Dhansak

Our date and tamarind chutney is all about the perfect balance of sweet and sour and this is why it is the perfects shortcut to creating the ultimate veg Dhansak – we even use it in the Dhansak on our curry house menu.

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 100g red split lentils
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • 3 tbsp veg oil
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 red onion, sliced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 garlic cloves, grated
  • Thumb ginger, grated
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 3 tomatoes, roughly diced
  • 3 tbsp SpiceBox Date and Tamarind Chutney
  • 2 large handfuls of mix veg (I use broccoli, sweet potato and frozen peas)
  • 1 tsp garam masala

Method

  1. Rinse the lentils 3 times in cold water. Add them to a medium saucepan and cover them with water. Add the salt and turmeric and bring to the boil for 10-15 minutes, until they are soft but still have some body.

  2. While the lentils are cooking, heat the oil in a medium frying pan and add the cumin seeds. Fry until the seeds become golden brown, then add the onion and salt. Cook the onion until it begins to soften then add the garlic, ginger and chilli. Fry for 5 minutes until the onion is nice and caramelised. Now add the tomato paste, sugar, coriander and tomatoes and cook out for 5 minutes until the tomatoes have begun to break down.

  3. Add the date and tamarind chutney followed by the veg, cooked lentils, garam masala and a cup of water. Cover the pan and cook until the veg are soft. You may need to top up the pan with some water if it becomes too thick. Taste for seasoning. Top with pickled pink onion.