Curry Recipes Online
British Indian Restaurant Recipes - Main Dishes => British Indian Restaurant Recipes - Main Dishes => Dansak => Topic started by: Mark J on April 17, 2005, 10:59 AM
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OK, I asked for advice on Dhansak a few weeks ago and since then I have been perfecting it!
What I now have is a stunning replica of my locals Dhansak (even if I do say so myself? ;D), and on the subject of that taste each time I have made this I cook it early (at least 3 hours before I eat) and bung it in a casserole dish. Half an hour before I want to eat it I put it in the oven for half an hour on gas mark 4/5. I believe as a result of doing this it doesn't feel like I have just cooked it and the taste is amazing.
As I have said before make sure everything is measured and ready to go next to the cooker otherwise you will definitely burn something while you are rooting around for that bottle of lemon juice? :D
Dhansak recipe for 2 portions
3/4 oz red split lentils (I'm currently torn between 1.5 or 2oz lentils per person, at the mo I think 1.5)
3 TBSP veg oil
3 TBSP veg ghee
3 TBSP pasata
4 cloves garlic crushed with 1 TSP ginger puree (I personally think fresh crushed garlic is key in the taste, a lot of you use garlic ginger puree so feel free to use that. Also the 2 kitchens I have been in only use garlic, not ginger)
2 rounded TSP restaurant masala
0.5 TSP chilli powder (I use rajah extra hot which is like powdered magma, if your using anything less hot then adjust upwards)
0.5 TSP salt
0.5 TSP fenugreek leaves
4 TBSP pre cooked onions
pre cooked main ingredient for 2 (I use chicken)
2 wedges of fresh lemon (or 2 TBSP lemon juice)
fresh coriander
First off soak the lentils for 4 hours, then wash them off, add water, 1TSP turmeric, 0.5 TSP salt and bring to the boil simmer until done, 30mins-1hour. Drain and puree, set aside for later.
Put the oil and ghee in a pan on your biggest gas ring, set to maximum and wait for the oil to heat up.
Add garlic and ginger puree, cook vigorously until garlic shows the vaguest sign of going brown
Add onions and cook for ~30s
Add pasata and cook for ~20s
Add spices, chilli and salt and cook for ~20s
Add lemon wedges (if using lemon juice dont add that here, add it in with the lentils), pre cooked main ingredient and cook for ~30s
Add half a ladle of curry base and evaporate off
Add lentil puree and fenugreek, stir in, then add 1 ladle of curry gravy
Add a handful of fresh chopped coriander
Turn heat down and simmer for a minute or 2
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Nice, I'l give this ago when I get some more lentils. This is one that I can never quite find the right taste, always nice but not quite right.
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Hi , Mark J
Very glad for you .
You explained it very clearly.
I like your idea of leaving the curry for 3 hours before eating it.
I will try it
Thanks
ghanna
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Hi ,MARK J
When you add turmeric to any kind of lentils or dals, they cook quicker.
This is the advice of one of the chefs.
There are two methods of pre-cooking onions :
1- Frying them with some turmeric until they are only wilted
2- Boiling them with some turmeric for a short time.
Please tell me which method did you used ?
Thank you in advance .
ghanna
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Hi Ghanna,
When I precook onions I fry them on a low heat with a TSP of garlic and a TSP of restaurant masala
cheers
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3/4 oz red split lentils (I'm currently torn between 1.5 or 2oz lentils per person, at the mo I think 1.5)
Hi, Mark.? I've never eaten a dhansak, but this sounds easy and good (and won't use up my precious curry base sauce!).? I have a question about the amount of lentils.? That's 3/4 oz. uncooked lentils, right?? What's the 1.5 oz. lentils per person -- is that the amount of cooked and pureed lentils?? Thanks for sharing this recipe.
-Mary?
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(and won't use up my precious curry base sauce!).?
It will, I think Marks just forgotten to add it to the ingredients list its included in the method though.
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Oops, just to clarify that should be 3 or 4oz for 2 people, uncooked weight
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and won't use up my precious curry base sauce!?
that should be 3 or 4oz for 2 people, uncooked weight
Thanks.? I can't believe I didn't figure that out.? Must be ghee clogging the blood vessels going to my brain. :(
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Mark, I tried your dhansak recipe last night, and it was delicious!? I?d say it was the best dhansak I?ve ever eaten, but I've already admitted not having it before. :)
Details:? Made a double recipe and used 6 oz. of lentils (good proportion of lentils).? Only 3 Tbl. each oil & ghee -- the thought of 6 Tbl. each was too scary.? Didn?t have passata so used a dab of tomato paste and some water to thin it.?? Lemon juice rather than wedges -- seemed more accurate.? Less curry gravy at the end because I ran out.? (Notice the planning that went into this meal!)? All in all, a very nice curry.? And I repeat your warning about having everything ready to go before cooking.? The beginning is rather frenzied and there?s no time to do anything but add and stir.
-Mary
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Cool! its a good recipe if your low on curry gravy as it only uses half the amount. I think you are right the lemon juice is more accurate but I must admit I like to see lemon wedges in my curries ;D
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I believe a lot of Dhansaks have a sweet taste, I have started adding 2 TSP sugar to mine
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Mark
Nice job mate. I made this last saturday and it's the best Dansak I've ever knocked up and by far the closest to the real BIR version
So good that I may have to have it again tonight!
\F
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Glad it worked for you mate (did you add the sugar, I think the sugar is essential now), I think the advantage of dishes like dhansak is they are more likely to turn out right because they are composed of many different flavours so if your base isn't quite right the dhansak can still be very good.
Compare that to say a vindaloo and you've very little room to maneuver if your base isn't quite right as the base makes up a large % of the final dish in terms of volume and flavour.
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Yes I used the sugar. I think it needs to be a little sweet and sour. I used the curryking base and it worked nicely.
Just cooking the chicken now...hmmm cant wait!
\F
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I agree, excellent dhansak recipe. I doubled it up, used Darth's base and watered down tom puree instead of passata. It was delicious.
Thanks for posting - I'll definitely cook this again.
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I make KDs Dansak with a couple of wee changes:
I precooked the meat in a couple of tbs oil, half a chopped onion, 2 tbs of curry base (I use KD but with home made chicken stock in place of water), and 1 lev (5ml) tps of Bruce Edwards 'mark 2' curry 'powder'. I give it about 45 mins, covered, giving it a splash of water every 15 mins or so to stop it drying out completely.
ThenI follow the KD instructions except I add 1/4 lev tps ground dried methi leaf powder, and I cook in the cummin for 5 mins instead of adding it at the end. I do not use garam masalla in this dish as I don't think it works. (I am, however a great fan of Garam in other dishes: it's great in her Bhuna- which actaully tasted far more like a Jalfrezi to me!!).
The result was REALLY good!
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Oh, I forgot to mention, I also add 3/4 lev tps ofmuscavardo sugar!
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I made this last night... was really good. Only alteration was adding some sugar and using limes instead of lemons. Really good recipe and it tasted like Dhansak from BIR ;D Well done!
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Hi Newbie on here.
Can't believe how old this thread is.
Anyway, was looking for a new Dhansak recipe and thought I'd try this one.
Well just made it and it must say it was delicious. ;D
Followed it to the letter, although I did add half a tin of pineapple (chopped) and it's juice for the sweetness, as is found in my fav local restaurant.
Oh, and I added a chopped fresh red chilli too, as I had one left, instead of adding more my chilli powder which isn't that hot.
Didn't notice it was pre-cooked onions, till I was just about to start ::), so did a quick cheat.
Sliced a small onion, put it in a lidded tub with a tbsp of base and a drizzle of oil, and then nuked it for about 3 to 4 mins in the microwave.
Hadn't done this before, but it seemed to work out fine, so might do the onions that way again.
Cheers
Martin