Dhal With Rice : Food Jar Recipe

Golden Lentil Dahl (The Cosy Jar Full of Sunshine)

Don't let the fancy name fool you. Dahl is really just a big pot of buttery, golden lentils, and it's one of the most kid-friendly curries going because it's mild, creamy and scoopable. It's also thick like porridge, which makes it an absolute superstar in a food jar. Pack it with a little tub of rice or some naan for dipping and you've got a warm lunch that'll have the other kids peering over enviously.

You'll need:

• 2 tbsp ghee (find it in the international aisle at Coles or Woolies), or 1 tbsp each of butter and oil
• 1 medium brown onion, finely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped (yes, six, trust me)
• 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
• 8 fresh curry leaves, or 6 dried (fresh herb section, and worth hunting down)
• 1 tomato, chopped
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 cup dried chana dal or yellow split peas (see my lentil notes below)
• 4 cups water
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ¾ tsp salt
• A pinch of garam masala to finish

Optional for the spice lovers: 1 or 2 green chillies, deseeded and chopped, fried off with the onion. I'd leave these out for the kids' jars and let the grown-ups add a bit of chilli sauce to their own.

Here's how:

1. Rinse the lentils and pop them in a bowl of water to soak for an hour, then drain. (Do this while you're pottering around after school pickup and dinner prep becomes a breeze.)
2. Heat the ghee in a heavy-based saucepan over high heat and fry the onion until softened.
3. Turn the heat down to medium, add the garlic, ginger and curry leaves, and cook for a minute until the kitchen smells incredible.
4. Add the tomato and cumin and cook for a couple of minutes until it breaks down into a lovely thick paste.
5. Tip in the lentils, water, turmeric and salt. Stir, bring to a simmer, then pop the lid on and let it bubble away gently for an hour. Give it a stir a few times along the way.
6. Take the lid off and simmer for another 30 minutes or so until it's thick and porridgey. Some lentils should still be whole and some broken down into a creamy sauce. That's exactly what you want.
7. Stir through the pinch of garam masala at the end and taste for salt.

My lentil notes:

• Chana dal is the classic and you'll find it in the international aisle of bigger supermarkets.
• Yellow split peas are a terrific swap that's in every supermarket. Just use 3 cups of water instead of 4, and cook for 40 minutes with the lid on, then 30 without.
• Skip the tiny lentils like puy for this one. You want the chunky yellow ones.

A few little notes from me:

• The dal will keep thickening after cooking, so stop just before it looks perfect and it'll be spot on by serving time. When you reheat it for the jars, loosen it with a splash of water.
• This makes 4 serves and it freezes beautifully, so one Sunday cook-up can stock the freezer with weeks of jar lunches.
• Feeling fancy? The traditional finishing touch is a tadka, which is just spices sizzled in ghee and poured over the top. Heat 1½ tbsp ghee in a small pan, add 1 tsp cumin seeds and ½ tsp black mustard seeds until the cumin turns golden, then a bit of sliced eschalot until it's tinged with gold, and pour the lot straight into the pot. Keep the heat gentle because burnt spices are a one-way ticket to starting again. Completely optional, completely delicious.

Jodie's food jar tips:

• You know the drill by now. Boiling water in the jar for 5 minutes, tip it out, then in with the piping hot dal.
• Reheat the dal until it's properly bubbling before it goes in. Thick foods like dal hold heat brilliantly, but only if they start hot.
• Pack rice in a separate little container rather than mixing it through, otherwise it soaks up all the sauce by lunchtime. Or skip the rice and send some naan or flatbread for dunking. Dipping food always wins with kids.