Dal Bhat and Tarkari (Nepalese recipe)

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My husband has been asking me to make Dal Bhat (lentils and rice) and Tarkari (curried vegetables) for years. It's a dish he fell in love with when he lived in Nepal as a teenager.

I delayed making Dal Bhat and Tarkari for three reasons:

1. I've never eaten it before so didn't know what it's supposed to taste like.
2. Paul loves it so much, I was nervous about messing it up.
3. It's lentils, rice and vegetables. How could that possibly taste as good as Paul remembers?

In the end I bit the bullet and decided to make it for Paul for Valentine's Day.

Fortunately Paul had brought a copy of the INF cookbook, Made in Nepal, back from one of his more recent trips to Nepal and I was able to follow that to make the dish he loves so much.

Apparently Nepalese eat Dal Bhat and Tarkari twice a day, mid morning and early evening. You'd think they would get sick of it, but after tasting it, I understand why they don't. It's so tasty and satisfying. Paul and I reckon we could happily eat it three times a week.

This recipe is vegetarian, dairy free, gluten free and super frugal.

Dal Bhat ingredients

• 1c green/brown lentils
• 2T oil (I use coconut oil as it has a high heat point)
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2cm piece of ginger, crushed
• 1/2t turmeric
• 1/2t salt, according to taste
• 4c liquid, eg. chicken stock, vegetable stock or water

Dal Bhat method
1. Wash lentils and soak for an hour or more.

2. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and fry onion until golden brown.

3. Add drained lentils, garlic, ginger, turmeric and salt and stir to combine.

4. Pour liquid over lentils and cook over a medium-low heat until lentils are soft and the mixture is like a thick soup.

5. Serve lentils over rice, or as its own soup.

Tarkari ingredients

• 2T cooking oil (eg. coconut or ghee)
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/2t cumin powder
• 1t coriander powder
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2cm piece ginger, crushed
• 1/2t turmeric powder
• pinch chilli powder
• 1/4t pepper
• 1/2t salt
• 3 large potatoes, cubed
• 3c chopped mixed vegetables, eg. cauliflower, green beans, aubergines, zucchinis, carrots
• 3 tomatoes, quartered

Tarkari method
1. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan and fry onion until golden brown.

2. Stir in cumin, coriander, garlic, ginger, turmeric, chilli powder, pepper and salt.

3. Add potatoes, chopped vegetables of your choice and tomatoes.

4. Turn vegetables over to coat with oil and spices.

Beans, zucchini, potatoes and tomatoes from my garden.

5. Cover and cook over low heat until all the vegetables are tender, turning gently from time to time.

6. Serve with Dal Bhat and rice.

Dal Bhat and Tarkari on rice will serve 4-6, depending on your appetite.

Budget breakdown
Oil - NZD$0.30
Vegetables - NZD$3.00
Rice - NZD$0.50
Lentils - NZD$0.50
Spices - NZD$0.20
Chicken stock - FREE if you make your own from scraps
TOTAL - NZD$4.50 for a satisfying family-sized meal

Looking for more gluten-free vegetarian meal inspiration? Check out Kim Wilson's new ebook, Good and Easy Eats.

What's your loved one's favourite dish? Do you love it as much as them?

Linked to Frugal Ways, Sustainable Days.