Dhansak (Restaurant Style)
An authentic Indian specialty cooked with freshly ground roasted spices, caramelised onions, and aromatic herbs in the traditional style.
Ingredients
- • 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
- • 1" Cassia Bark (Cinnamon Stick)
- • 2 teaspoons Garlic Paste
- • 1/2 teaspoon Ginger Paste
- • 1.5 tablespoon Tomato Paste
- • 2 teaspoons Mix Powder / Curry Powder
- • 1 teaspoon Chilli Powder
- • 1/2 teaspoon Coriander Powder
- • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- • 1/4 teaspoon Fenugreek Leaves (Kasoori Methi)
- • 5 heaped tablespoons Pre-Cooked Lentils
- • 250 ml Curry Base
- • 6 pieces Meat / Veg / Paneer
- • 2 tablespoons Sugar
- • 2 teaspoons Tamarind Sauce (not concentrate or fresh)
- • 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
- • 1/4 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
Preparation Steps
Heat the oil in a pan on a low heat then add the cassia bark, garlic and ginger and stir through, allow to gently simmer for around a minute
add in the tomato paste (watered down with around 3 tablespoons of water) and allow to cook out for around a minute to reduce the bitterness
add the mix powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, salt and fenugreek leaves and stir through well, allow to cook until the oil starts to separate
if using raw meat add it now, gently stir in the spices and allow to start to brown for around 5 minutes stirring occasionally
turn the heat up to medium, add the base, the cooked lentils, sugar, tamarind sauce and lemon juice and combine well
if using pre-cooked meat or raw fish such as prawns add them now and gently stir to coat and combine
allow to reduce until the sauce reduces and thickens and your choice of protein is cooked through then stir through the garam masala
serve sprinkled with some fresh coriander and a slice of lemon