Ingredients
Method
- Cook the three dals with the pumpkin, eggplant, tomato, greens and turmeric in 5 cups water until everything is very soft. Blend or mash to a smooth puree.
- Heat oil and cook the onions until deep brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and the meat and sear.
- Add the dhansak masala and cook for 2 minutes, then add the dal puree and salt.
- Cover and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the meat is tender.
- Stir in tamarind and jaggery, garnish with mint and coriander, and serve with Parsi brown rice and kachumber salad.
The spices that matter
The most common first spice in a tadka: crackle the seeds in hot oil or ghee before adding onions, dal or vegetables. Roasted and ground, it goes int…
No cumin? Caraway or shahi jeera are the closest whole-seed swaps. For ground cumin, use a little extra ground coriander with a pinch of chilli.
Ground coriander is the bulk of most curry bases, often used in larger quantities than any other spice. Whole seeds are roasted for sambar, rasam and…
No coriander seed? A mix of a little cumin and a pinch of fennel gives a similar warmth. Fresh coriander leaves are a different flavour and not a substitute.
A pinch goes into almost every dal, sabzi and curry, usually with the onions or straight into the dal as it boils. Fresh turmeric root is pickled in …
No turmeric? There is no real substitute for flavour. For colour only, a tiny pinch of saffron or Kashmiri chilli changes the shade, but not the taste.
A few seeds go into South Indian tempering, sambar powder and pickles. Soaked fenugreek helps idli and dosa batter ferment and adds softness.
No fenugreek seed? A pinch of mustard seed with a little maple syrup gives a rough approximation, but most recipes are fine without it.
Nice to have
The blend to use
Dhansak masala: A warm Parsi blend for one of the community’s signature dishes.
Salt, oil or ghee, onions, ginger, garlic and fresh herbs are assumed. See how to make a tadka for the order to add whole spices.
Dishes with similar spices
Frequently asked questions
How long does dhansak take to make?
About 20 minutes to prepare and 90 minutes to cook.
What spices are in dhansak?
The essentials are cumin, coriander seed, turmeric, fenugreek seed. Nice to have: cinnamon and cassia, cloves.
Tips from travellers
Use Dhansak differently at home? Share your tip. The first good one goes right here.