As families gather for their Ramadan feasts, Masterchef star Raheel Mirza has shared the recipe that always goes down a treat within his own household while offering some top tips for fellow home cooks looking to impress
Masterchef star Raheel Mirza has shared his go-to Ramadan recipe, and it’s sure to be a hit with the whole family. Raheel, from Sheffield, has come a long way since competing in the 2020 series of Masterchef, even breaking the Guinness World Record in February 2021 after hosting a mammoth online cookalong attended by some 1,000 people from all around the world.
Having proven himself on the UK’s biggest cookery show, Raheel is now the “go-to person” within the family when it comes to rustling up culinary masterpieces, although he has modestly conceded that there are others whose flavourful dishes exceed his own. However, one dish brings the whole family to the table during Ramadan get-togethers – Raheel’s deliciously creamy, energy-boosting 5 Lentil Curry.
READ MORE: Best Ramadan chocolate advent calendars 2023 – from Amazon, Asda, and more
Raheel told the Mirror: “The Five Lentil Dal is a really popular one in our household. It’s full of protein, which obviously is important when you’ve been fasting all day to have that nutrition. But it’s just really nice and creamy. It’s got a really good blend of spices as well as creaminess. And with the five different types of lentils and pulses that make up a dish, it’s a really nice combination.”
According to self-taught home cook Raheel, this “hearty and simple” curry is perfect for batch cooking. This means any tempting leftovers will absolutely not go to waste and can be frozen for months if needed. It’s also gorgeously “versatile”, and can be served up with sides such as rice, chapatis, naan or paratha.
Raheel, who includes the easy-to-follow recipe in his cookbook Sugar, Spice & Stockpile, continued: “Of course, it just so happens to be vegan as well. So, you know, it’s a great dish to have up your sleeve for other people who might be visiting who maybe you don’t know what their dietary requirements are. It kind of covers all bases.”
The five-lentil dahl is a satisfying offering in its own right, but it can also be eaten alongside other dishes, including meat-based meals and starters. It makes for a perfect addition to the “bring-your-own-dish” celebrations Raheel and his family love to throw during Ramadan.
5 lentil curry recipe below:
“This is a creamy and indulgent lentil dish which is superb served with hot chapatis or on plain white basmati rice. The combination of flavours and textures that come from using the different varieties of lentils results in a truly memorable eating experience. This is a mild-medium spiced dish and can be made hotter by sprinkling in 1-2 chopped fresh green chillies just before serving.”
Raheel’s 5 Lentil Curry serves at least four hungry diners and should be served with rice and a bread of your choice.
Equipment:
- 2 large saucepans with lids
- 1 small frying pan
Ingredients:
- 250g mixed lentils – you can buy these in any South Asian supermarket and even some major supermarket chains. They tend to be supplied in 500g bags. If you cannot find these, then you can use the quantities of lentils listed below, which would make up the 250g you need, or a combination of any of the below lentil varieties:
- 1 /4 cup (approx. 50g) toor daal (split pigeon peas)
- 1 /4 cup (approx. 50g) urid daal (black lentils or black gram)
- 1 /4 cup (approx. 50g) moong daal (split green gram)
- 1 /4 cup (approx. 50g) masoor daal (split red lentils)
- 1 /4 cup (approx. 50g) chana daal (Bengal gram)
- 1 /2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 bay leaves
- Approx. one litre of cold tap water
- 2 tablespoons oil of choice (rapeseed, vegetable, olive etc.)
- Whole spices: 4 cloves, 1 black cardamom, 2 green cardamoms, 1 tsp cumin seeds,
- 1 whole dried red chilli
- 1 .5 small onions finely chopped
- 2 tsp ginger and garlic paste
- 1 /2 turmeric powder
- 1 /2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 small tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1 /2 garam masala powder
- Small handful of chopped coriander
For tempering:
- 2 tablespoons oil of choice
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 8 -10 small curry leaves (dried or fresh)
- 3 -4 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
Method:
1. Place the lentils in a bowl and rinse thoroughly with cold or lukewarm water 4-5 times until the water runs almost clear. It is important to undertake this step as this will wash away the majority of the impurities contained within the lentils. The rest will cook out and can be skimmed off during the cooking process.
2. Transfer the lentils to a large saucepan and add in approximately 1 litre of cold tap water as well as the following in the quantities listed above; turmeric, salt and bay leaves.
3. Bring this to a boil and then turn down to a medium heat until the lentils are cooked. This should take 25-30 minutes. If at any point the water looks like it has reduced too much, then you can add some more water to keep cooking the daal. You are looking for a loose and creamy consistency but not too watery or porridge-like.
During the cooking process, you will see some foamy water rise to the top, which you can skim off a little at a time as those are the remaining impurities that you can discard. You can check that they are cooked by removing some with a teaspoon and tasting them as well as pinching them between your thumb and forefinger. Turn the heat off and leave to one side.
4. In the second saucepan, add the oil, and over low-medium heat, saute the whole spices (cloves, black cardamom, green cardamoms, cumin seeds, whole dried red chilli) until they start to change colour slightly and release their aromas. Be careful not to burn these.
5. Next, add in the onion, ginger and garlic pastes and cook until the onions are nicely browned – take your time with this step, making sure the onions take on a nice golden brown colour.
6. Now, add in the powdered spices and salt and cook for a further 2-3 minutes on a medium heat.
7. Add in the tomatoes next and cook until softened.
8. Transfer the cooked lentils into this onion and tomato base and simmer over a low heat for 5-10 minutes so that the lentils absorb the flavour of the base.
9. Add in the garam masala and stir through and then turn off the heat.
10. To prepare the tempering oil, add the oil, curry leaves, garlic cloves and cumin seeds into the frying pan and cook over a medium-high heat until the oil is bubbling gently and the ingredients take on a golden brown colour.
11. Very carefully add this oil mixture into the lentil curry. This will splutter and sizzle as you do this which is an indication that you have achieved the desired heat level for the tempering oil to impart flavour into the lentil curry.
12. Finally, sprinkle over the chopped coriander leaves.
13. Serve with plain white basmati rice or chapatis, and enjoy!
Chef’s top tips
Raheel also has some words of wisdom to share for those looking to unlock their inner chef during Ramadan, advising them to “just experiment”. He explained: “It’s a great time to experiment with lots of different seasonal produce, different spices, different combinations and especially when you’re fasting if you are fasting. When you are fasting, it’s like that curiosity almost increases because you feel like your taste buds are desperate to have some food, and you end up trying just new combinations, which is a really nice thing.
“But I’d say to people, don’t be afraid to experiment, try new combinations. You know, if it doesn’t work, that’s fine. Try something else. I think through trial and error, you can stumble across some really nice recipes and start to evolve the recipes you already have. So what I would say in terms of don’t, it’s kind of the opposite really, so don’t be afraid to give it a go. I don’t think there’s anything that’s a big no-no, particularly when it comes to Ramadan, to be eating together. It’s just be experimental and just contribute to what everyone else is doing as well.”
Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com
READ MORE: Susanna Reid wows Good Morning Britain fans in ‘spectacular’ red floral dress
