Delicious squash daal with fried egg | Vegetable recipes | Jamie Oliver (2024)

DifficultyNot too tricky

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1. Start by making a temper. Peel the garlic, then finely slice with the chillies, ideally 1mm thick on a mandolin (use the guard!).
2. Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into a large wide pan on a medium heat and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves for 1 minute, then the garlic and chillies.
3. Stir so everything’s flat, moving regularly until crisp and lightly golden. With a slotted spoon, remove half the temper to a plate, taking the pan off the heat.
4. Peel the onions and ginger and finely chop with the coriander stalks, then chop the squash into 2cm cubes, leaving the skin on but discarding any seeds. Stir it all into the pan and return to a medium heat for 15 minutes to soften.
5. Stir in the lentils, then 1.5 litres of boiling water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cover for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Mash the squash into the daal, taste and season to perfection. Remove 6 portions, bag them up and, once completely cool, freeze for a rainy day when you’ll be really grateful it’s there, leaving the rest on a low heat to keep warm.
7. Blitz the coriander leaves, yoghurt, a pinch of sea salt and half the lime juice in a blender until smooth, then decant into a small bowl.
8. Reheat the reserved temper in a non-stick frying pan on a medium-low heat with 1 teaspoon of oil, then divide into two piles and crack an egg over each. Cover and leave to slowly fry on the bottom for 2 or 3 minutes, while they coddle on top.
9. One-by-one, puff up your dry poppadoms in the microwave for around 30 seconds each.
10. Top each portion of daal with a fried egg, and pop some spinach, dressing, poppadoms and a lime wedge on the side.

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