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Trinidadian style dhal recipe – Learn how to make this simple Trinidadian style seasoned dhal made from split peas and serve with rice or flatbread.
If you are an avid reader of my website then you will probably already know that I am a huge fan of legumes. I usually eat some type of legume on a daily basis, sometimes in the form of a light soup and other times consume them mashed or even whole.
Irrespective of how I cook them, what’s more important to me is the nutritional content. Legumes are very contemporary in the vegan/meatless lifestyle. What most people fail to realise is that legumes are a good source of iron which helps with the formation of red blood cells. They are also an excellent source of protein too.
Society would have us think that the only true method to procure protein is via meat, well this isn’t entirely true. Although I’m not a vegan, I do enjoy eating a variety of plant based food.
The Caribbean is known for it’s carnivore nature, what can I say many Islanders enjoy eating goat, pork lamb, beef, fish/seafood, chicken and other localised meat delicacies. However, the Caribbean lifestyle does embrace vegetarian/vegan dishes.
About Trinidadian dhal
One fine example of a meatless dish is this one which hails from Trinidad and Tobago. My recipe is inspired by the Trinidadian method of preparing dhal. While the word dhal or dal is associated with a pulse that has been split, it plays a crucial role in southern Asian cuisines.
Trinidad and Tobago has a large population of Indians so many of the Island’s dishes bears a strong Asian influence.
This Trinidadian style Dhal is very simple to make, you will find many of the ingredients to be not only inexpensive but relativity easy to obtain. A small amount of finely chopped scotch bonnet is included in the recipe, which can be purchased from any Caribbean grocery store. If you do not live in a diverse community then simply substitute this with a fresh chilli instead.
How to make dhal
The dhal shouldn’t take very long to cook, once the split peas have been rinsed, the most time consuming aspect will be boiling the pulse in order for them to soften. Leaving the pulse to soak overnight is another way to hasten the boiling/softening stage.
The vast majority of the ingredients will be added to the saucepan prior to boiling – garlic, onions, pepper and turmeric for colour (some people use saffron).
The density of dhal – thin vs thicker dhal
The thickness of the dhal shall be determined by the cook, I like my dhal slightly thin but not watery so 5 cups of water to one cup of dhal is suffice.
However if you like your dhal thick then either add more spilt peas or scale back the water by a cups worth. To make a thick dhal simply use 3 cups of water instead. At first the dhal may appear not too thick but as it gets colder it will get a lot thicker so keep that in mind
Once the dhal has boiled and slightly coool. Use a hand held blender like an immersion stick blender to puree.
The final step in my opinion really enhances the flavour of dhal and this is known as chongkay – where garlic and cuming (geera) is tempered in a small amount of oil. This process releases the flavour of the aforementioned before being poured over the dhal.
You can serve dhal with roti, naan bread or rice.
Steps of making dhal with pictures
Wash the split peas and add them to the saucepan with the amount of water you desire.
Add the ingredients listed and bring the pan to the boil.
Use a hand blender to puree the split peas in water then prepare the to chongkay the garlic and cumin seeds
Pour the cumin seed/garlic/oil into the dhal and mix
Reasons why you should make this dhal recipe
- It’s fat free and suitable to weight loss lifstyle
- High in iron/replenishes red blood cells and helps to fight anemia
- Legumes are high in protein
- Contains slow carbohydrates making you feel fuller for longer
- Vegan and vegetarian friendly
Trinidadian style dhal recipe
gluten free, vegan, dairy free
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Appetiser
- Cuisine: Caribbean
Ingredients
- 1 cup of split peas
- 5 cups of water
- 3 cloves of garlic, mashed
- 1 very small onion, finely sliced
- 1/4 of scotch bonnet, finely sliced or chilli
- 1/2 tsp of black pepper
- 1/2 tsp of turmeric
- himalayan pink salt to taste
- —————————————————————
- For the chongkaying
- 2 tbsp of coconut oil
- 2–3 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp of cumin (geera)
Instructions
- Rinse the split peas several times before pouring them into a saucepan.
- Add the water, turmeric, scotch bonnet, black pepper, garlic, onions and pink salt to the pot.
- Bring the pot to the boil, cover and reduce the heat to low-medium.
- Allow the split peas to simmer until tender for 40 minutes.
- Once the spilt peas have softened, remove the pot from the stove and carefully pulverise the mixture with a hand held blender to the desired texture and stir.
- For the chongkaying, melt the coconut oil in a frying pan and then proceed to add the garlic and cumin. Temper the cumin and garlic in the oil, infusing the flavour until the garlic is golden in colour.
- Transfer the tempered ingredients into the dhal by stirring.
- Serve accordingly
Nutrition
- Calories: 200
Yum, I don’t eat legumes nearly enough, I’d love to try and eat some more. This looks delicious and healthy!
Thank you!
I am loving all the flavors of this dish…I would love to try this! Sounds absolutely marvelous. xo
Please do try it 😉
I am loving this recipe!!! Great dinner idea!
★★★★★
Thank you!
Wow this TRINIDAD DHAL looks very yummy. It makes me hungry, I want to get for my dinner. So sweet.
I wish I could mail you some
How sweet to hear you Charlene! Thank you so much.
Thank you
awww.. I have everything to make this in my cabinet except a scotch bonnet! (And I quite honestly have no idea what that is lol). This sounds amazing- I love lentils!!!
Hi Sarah. A Scotch bonnet is a very hot Caribbean pepper. You can always use a fresh chilli to substitute
I’ve been fooling around with dhal a lot lately. I love it & your recipe. Thanks.
★★★★★
Thanks and you are welcome
Hi Charla, I just had your Pumpkin Lentil Soup for dinner. It was absolutely delish! I’m highly looking forward to making your Trini Dahl and likewise Toto Coconut Cake later this month. Thanks bunches for sharing your knowledge and recipes with us.
With gratitude,
Ceil
Thank you so much Ceil for your wonderful feedback.
Making dis now! Feeling Dahl and rice.
★★★★★
Yes! Dahl with rice is equally as tasty.
Hello,
This looks delicious is there a recipe for the bread in the picture?
The bread was a gluten free naan that I purchased but I am working on a naan bread recipe as I type
Just made it and loved it. Was desperately looking for a recipe similar to my father’s and you have done it. Thank you.
That’s great news Dee. Thanks for the feedback!!
Thank you!! Where can I find the flatbread recipe from the photo?
★★★★★
I actually purchased the flatbread but I’m hoping to nail a good GF naan bread recipe very soon.
Thanks for this recipe! I’ve used it successfully several times! I tried for years to figure out my mom’s proportions for the ingredients to make dhal, but like a lot of West Indian moms she just averages things, and I need actual measurements! My son & husband (and I) all love dhal & rice so this recipe is a staple for me! 🙂
Hi Sharon. I’m so glad this recipe has helped you out. I know what a nightmare it is to obtain measurements from West Indians and I used to be guilty of this prior to becoming a blogger. Happy to have helped you and co!!
Hi this look’s delicious i made dhal before by average not like you do but am going to make some now your way i love the way it look’s .
Thanks George. I hope you enjoy it, I’ve had lots of positive reviews on it.