Beetroot Coconut Dal

By Gillian Wilkins

One of our favourite postpartum recipes is our Beetroot & Coconut Dal.

What makes a bowl of dal so perfect during postpartum? It´s warming, soothing, it provides sustainable energy and strengthens your digestive fire which is the foundation for good health according to Ayurveda. Moong dal is rich in protein and fibre and essential nutrients such as iron and folate.

Beets are an ingredient essential to postpartum recovery as they too are a great source of fibre, folate, potassium, iron and vitamin C. Mothers who are recovering from a c-section, extreme blood loss or preeclampsia can benefit from beetroot´s qualities as they can help fight inflammation, regulate blood pressure and prevent anaemia.

Beets are typically in season from late spring to early autumn, however in Spain, they are in season all year around.

This is an easy recipe that nourishes you deeply from within and keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days. Its also a great way to eat more beets, making this a once a week dish. I like to eat mine on a bed of rice topped with a small handful of coriander, a sprinkle of black sesame (known to help with increasing milk supply) and a drizzle of olive oil.

INGREDIENTS

2 T ghee

1 T fresh ginger, grated

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 t cumin seeds

1 t yellow or brown mustard seeds

1 t coriander seeds

10 curry leaves (optional)

1/4 cup desiccated coconut

1 cup of dried red lentils or split moong dal (soaked for at least 6 hours)

1 large beetroot, peeled and finely grated

1 tin of coconut milk

2 t Himalayan sea salt

1 t black pepper

1 t ground turmeric

Juice of one lemon

Small handful of fresh cilantro

METHOD

If you are using split moong dal, soak overnight or for at least 6 hours. Otherwise, dried red lentils just need a rinse.

In a large heavy pot, heat the ghee and once hot, add the ginger, garlic and curry leaves (if using) and cook for a minute or so. Add the dry spices and allow the mustard seeds to pop before adding the coconut. This mixture becomes the base for your dal and heating up the spices activates them. Cook until fragrant, around 2 minutes.

Add your lentils and shredded beetroot and gently mix with the dal base before adding the coconut milk and water to the pan. Once it reaches a boil, bring down the heat and simmer for 40mins. The lentils should be soft and all the ingredients should come together.

Season to taste. It may require a bit of salt to bring out the flavour. Add a squeeze of lemon and garnish with fresh cilantro and olive oil. Add a sprinkle of black sesame if you have this in your pantry. You could also top with any veggies you might have on hand.

(you could also omit the beetroot and enjoy an easy red lentil coconut dal in its simplest form and still benefit from it’s replenishing powers).

ENJOY!