Slow Cooker Dahl with Charred Aubergines

You guys know by now how much I love a good slow cooker meal, especially in the colder months.

This is the best of the best when it comes to a vegan slow cooker recipes. I just cannot fault it. It is hearty and healthy and so incredibly cheap. Plus, it’s super simple (even more so if you skip the aubergines, but I wouldn’t recommend it since it is just too good to miss out).

It also helps that for something so simple and budget-friendly to make, it is also delicious. It looks sloppy and you just don’t think it could ever taste good but the smells lure you in and you don’t regret it for an instant. It is packed full of amazing spices, mild in heat but high in flavour.

If the food budget is starting to look a little sparse at the end of the month, this is what I add to the menu. Because for just £3.50 ($4.60) for the whole dish including even optional ingredients (that’s just 44p ($0.58) per portion!), you can have a truly yummy dinner to enjoy as a family. And I can keep the ingredients on hand for next time and just buy some aubergines (eggplants) and fresh coriander (cilantro) at the last minute. Who said eating healthy and tasty food had to be expensive? 😉

And if you have weaning babies in the house, this dish is perfect for them once you have tried some single foods – it’s soft and easy for them to eat, meaning you can make it for the whole family. And since it caters for gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, dairy free and allergen free diets, there will be no cooking different meals for anybody.

And if you don’t have a slow cooker? Get one! Only kidding. Sort of – it saves me so much money and time I think no one should be without one! But this recipe can definitely be made on the stovetop – once you have followed the instructions for frying the spices, onion, garlic and ginger, then just chuck the other ingredients in the pan instead of the slow cooker and simmer gently, stirring and checking regularly, for about 20-30 minutes, until lentils have softened and everything is thick and gloopy.

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Slow Cooker Dahl with Charred Aubergines

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

3 hrs

Total Time

3 hrs 5 mins

 

A super simple, affordable vegan dinner that is hearty enough to fill you up on a cold day and healthy enough to make big batches and live off it for weeks if you want! 🙂 Vegan, Gluten Free, Sugar Free. Delicious.

Course: Autumn, Bonfire Night, Dairy Free, Dinner, Entertaining, Fall, Gluten Free, Halloween, Holiday, Lunch, Main Course, Side, Side Dish, Sides, Sugar Free, Sweetener Free, Thanksgiving, Vegan, Vegetarian, Winter

Servings: 6 serves

Ingredients

For the dahl:

• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds or ground cumin
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger or ginger puree
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 200 g (1 cup) red lentils, rinsed (better yet - soaked overnight and then rinsed)
• 200 g (1 cup) yellow split peas, rinsed (better yet - soaked overnight and then rinsed)
• 1.25 l (5 cups) water
• 400 g (14oz) tin tomatoes (peeled plum or chopped)
• 250 g (1 cup) sweet potato puree (about 1-2 sweet potatoes cooked in the oven or microwave until soft, peeled and pureed), optional but adds a lovely sweetness and extra veg)
• salt & pepper, to taste

For the aubergine:

• 1 large aubergine (eggplant) or 2 small, finely sliced
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon coriander (cilantro) seeds

To serve:

• cooked Basmati or brown rice, optional but makes a complete protein with the lentils and makes it a heartier meal
• fresh coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut, optional

Instructions

1. Toast the mustard and fennel seeds (and cumin if using seeds) in a pan over high heat for a couple of minutes until they release their delicious smells. Crush in a pestle and mortar. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive or coconut oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion gently over a low-medium heat for a couple of minutes until translucent. Add in the crushed spices along with the ground spices, bay leaf, ginger and garlic. Fry gently for a minute or two to intensify the flavours, then place in the slow cooker with all of the other dahl ingredients. Mix well, then cook on High for 2-3 hours (or Low for 4-6 hours). Towards the end of cooking time, make the aubergines.

2. For the aubergines, get a griddle pan (grill pan in America - it should have raised lines, rather than be flat) nice and hot over high heat. Brush the aubergine slices with olive oil, then lay in the hot pan so they sizzle and char. Cook the slices in batches for about 2 minutes on each side, until they have beautiful char lines and have gone soft and darker in colour. Keep them hot by keeping on a plate covered with foil. For added flavour, heat a couple of teaspoons of olive oil in a pan and fry the cumin and coriander seeds in the oil to flavour it. Serve the charred aubergines over the dahl (and rice if using) and pour over the oil (if using), some desiccated coconut and plenty of fresh coriander.