Passport & Plate - Yogic dhal from the foot of the Himalaya
India | Monday, March 2, 2015 | 5 photos
Ingredients
• 225 g of yellow split moong
• 1tsb ground turmeric
• pinch of salt
• 4 tsb ghee or another oil (butter or sunflower oil)
• 2 tsb cumin seeds
• 1 tsb mild chili powder
• one fresh tomato
• two handfuls of fresh or frozen spinach
• steamed rice
• roti (chapatti) or naan bread from an Indian store (alternatively pitta bread or tortilla)
How to prepare this recipeRinse and soak the dhal in water until the liquid is absorbed.
Boil the dhal in water with turmeric and salt for 30 minutes. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes more. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add cumin seeds and chilli powder and fry till golden. Add the dhal and cook a further 5 minutes. Add spinach and chopped tomato and cook until the spinach has wilted.
Serve hot with steamed rice and flat bread (roti or similar). Use the roti to scoop out the dhal and rice and eat using your fingers.
Note: This is my variation on the yellow dhal served at Parmarth Niketan ashram in Rishikesh, India. It differs from other dhal recipes in that it is milder and contains no garlic or onions, according to sattvic principles in Hinduism. My version is thicker and contains tomato and spinach to make it a complete meal.
The story behind this recipeIn summer 2014 I found myself stressed with my busy London life and longing for something I couldn't quite pinpoint.
I decided I needed an adventure. So I took a month off and in the midst of August heat I found myself in Delhi volunteering for an educational charity. Inspired by India's yogic culture I then headed to Rishikesh, a small town at the foot of the Himalaya by the holy river Ganges, to spend a week at Parmarth Niketan ashram.
The ashram community gets up at 4.30 am to the chiming of temple bells and starts the day with mantra chanting followed by yoga.
At 8.30 we have breakfast in silence: simple vegetarian food consisting of fruit, yellow dhal, and roti.
We then have a theory session with our guru and learn Vedic chanting. The last activity before lunch is karma yoga - cleaning chores.
Lunch consists of dhal, potatoes with cabbage or courgette, rice and roti, eaten in silence.
In the afternoon our spiritual retreat resumes with yoga and one more round of mantra meditation, sitting cross-legged in a circle, passing rosary beads between our fingers and chanting.
In the evening we attend a ritual of cleansing by fire. Hundreds of people are siting on the steps leading to the Ganges, chanting, bathing in the river and sending candles onto the water.
The day ends with a simple meal with rice and dhal at its centre.
As the days pass, my companions start complaining about the omnipresent dhal. But I must say I like it more and more. With the dhal the experience of yoga, meditation, community and inner peace is made complete. Legumes are just the perfect food for a yogi - full of protein and complex carbs, nourishing to the body and treading lightly on the Earth.
When I board my plane home, I start fantasising about the first meal I will have on English soil. And yet, when I get home I start googling dhal recipes.
I still have dhal whenever life becomes too much and I want to be transported back to the soothing silence of my ashram by the Ganges.
