Baked Potatoes with spicy dhal

I got to say that I'm not a big lentil-lover. For a long time I only could eat them when cooked and pulsed to puree. But I guess it took me a while - with trying out many kind of variation to prepare them. And the more I try out the more I learn to like them. May sound strange but it's a kind of childhood rememberies. (It's kind of grandparents-stuff). 

A few weeks ago was taking pass the first indian market with indian foodcorners. I while looking for spices and whatever I saw, there was a odor in the air that catched my nose and I followed the smell. What I found was a truck who showed how to cook indian dishes and I was immediatly caught up. 

For a small price you could buy the dish and tried. It's taste was delicious, spicy, tasty everything. They served the spicy dhal over rise or over a jacket potato. 

For luck the had the spices they used standing around the dish and I wrote everything down, even the way they prepared the dish and I knew I'm going to try this dish once at home. 

And now came the time and the preparing was really easy and the odor that filled my kitchen was great (and as most times my whole appartement will smell a while after food, no matter how often I open the windows..) 

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Baked Potatoes with spicy dhal

Ingredients:
2 baking potatoes
1 tbsp. sunflower oil, or any other oil
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. tumeric
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic gloves, sliced
1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced
85 g red lentils
1 tomato, chopped
400 ml vegetable stock
210 g can chickpeas, drained
handfull chopped coriander

Optional: Chutney or lime pickle, to serve with

Direction:
Preheat oven up to 200C. Put the potatoes in the oven and bake for 1 hr until tender and the skin is crispy. You may wrap them in foil, as I did 

While they are baking, prepare the dhal. Heat oil in a pan and fry the spices till they pop and the flavours exvaporate. As soon as they start to crackle,  give in the onion, garlic and chilli, add a splash of water to stop the spices from burning. Cook for 5 mins until the onion softens.

Add the lentils, tomato and stock, then cover and cook for 10 mins. Add in the chickpeas, cover and cook for 10 mins more until the lentils are tender. Season to taste, stir in the coriander and spoon onto the jacket potatoes. Serve with chutney or lime pickle.

And enjoy a healthy and delicious meal.