Curried Cauliflower Stalk & Leaf Dhal

Left to fend for myself for supper, with everybody else finishing other bits and pieces from the freezer and fridge, I settled on making a dhal (or daal, or dal) from some cauliflower stalk I had been saving to make a Cauliflower Korma but never got round.  Instead I thought I'd make something a little less high in calories.

My favourite Tarka Dhal recipe is by Anjum Anand which I make with red lentils.  But to keep my cauliflower recipe low calorie tonight I tweaked this a little, leaving out most of the lentils and use dried chilli flakes because I always have them in the store cupboard.

Don't worry about the stalk being woody.  It wasn't at all!

Serves 2
150 calories per serving

1 cauliflower stalk & leaves, cut lengthways into quarters

1 small onion

2 garlic cloves

1cm fresh ginger

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tin of recently boiled water

1 tbsp sunflower oil

1 tbsp red lentils

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp hot chilli flakes

3/4 tsp turmeric

3/4 tsp garam masala

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp salt 

Peel and roughly chop the onion and garlic and place in the mini food processor with the ginger which does not need to be peeled.  Blend into a smooth puree with a few tablespoons of water.

Warm the oil in a saucepan and gently fry the cumin seeds for about 30 seconds.  Add the onion puree and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly, or until it starts sticking.  Add the tomatoes and all the other ingredients.  Don't forget the tinful of water.  Simmer gently for 20 minutes or under the stalk is tender enough to mash with a potato masher.

This is fine to eat straight away, but like most Indian curries the flavour just gets better if you can leave stand for an hour, half a day, or even overnight.