Chicken dhansak (chicken and red lentil curry)
45 min · 43 g protein · 489 cals / serving
The British curry-house favourite of Parsi origin: chicken thighs simmered with red lentils and butternut squash until both collapse into a thick, golden sauce, sweet and sour with tamarind and warm with garam masala, cumin and a little chilli. The lentils stretch the chicken, so it is cheap, high in protein and fibre, and it freezes beautifully.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin, or cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, or a small cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 tbsp ginger, grated
- 1 1/2 lb chicken thigh, boneless, skinless, in 3 cm (1 1/4-inch) chunks
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp paprika, Kashmiri chilli powder or paprika
- 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) ground fenugreek, crumbled; or a pinch of ground fenugreek seed, which turns bitter in larger amounts
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
- 3/4 cup red lentils, rinsed
- about 3 cups ready-cubed butternut squash (fresh or frozen) butternut squash, 2 cm (3/4-inch) cubes; or peel and cube half a squash
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp tamarind, tamarind paste (if you only have concentrate, use 1 tsp; or 2 tbsp lemon juice)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
To serve
- 1 green chili pepper, sliced, to serve on the side
Steps
- Heat the oil in a large lidded pot over medium-high heat and cook the onion 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until golden at the edges. While the onion cooks, cut the chicken.
- Add the cumin, cinnamon, garlic and ginger and stir 1 minute.
- Add the chicken with the garam masala, coriander, turmeric, chilli powder, fenugreek and tomato paste, and stir 3 minutes until the chicken is coated and sealed on the outside.
- Add the tomatoes, lentils, squash, water and salt. Bring to a boil, then cover with the lid ajar and simmer 18 minutes, stirring now and then so the lentils do not catch, until the lentils have collapsed, the squash is soft and the chicken is 165°F inside.
- Stir in the tamarind and crush a few pieces of squash against the side of the pot to thicken the sauce. Simmer uncovered 2–3 minutes to the thickness you like, and taste for salt.
- Finish with the lemon juice and coriander, with the green chilli on the side for anyone who wants heat. It keeps 4 days in the fridge and freezes for 3 months; it thickens as it sits, so loosen it with a splash of water when reheating.
Good to know
Pineapple?
Many British curry houses add a few chunks of pineapple for the sweet-and-sour taste dhansak is known for. Stir in a cup of drained pineapple chunks with the tamarind, if you like it that way.
What to serve it with?
In Parsi homes it comes with 'brown rice', a pilau coloured deep gold with caramelised onion. Plain basmati or a warm naan works too; it is substantial enough to eat on its own with a spoonful of yogurt.
Is it spicy?
Mild to medium: a teaspoon of Kashmiri chilli is more colour than heat, which is why the green chilli goes on the side. For a hotter pot, add 1/2 teaspoon of hot chilli powder with the spices.
Per
- Calories
- 85
- Protein
- (34%)
- 8 g
- Fat
- (28%)
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- (38%)
- 9 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 198 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1955 kcal goes into the pot and 2528 g of ingredients comes out as about 2300 g of food: 85 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.