Dhal and Rice (Trinidadian Inspired)

dhal on a bed of cauliflower rice with cucumber

Learn how to make this incredibly easy, tasty and yet cost effective Trinidad and Tobago inspired dhal and rice. A totally vegan, budget friendly meal made from yellow split peas and paired with seasoned cauliflower rice for a more nutritionally dense option.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Trinidad and Tobago

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 40

Servings people

Calories 344kcal

Author Charla

Ingredients

To soak the dhal

1½ cups yellow split peas (295g)
4-5 cups water (946ml)

To cook the dhal

3½ cups water (828ml)
½ small onion chopped
6 garlic cloves
½ scotch bonnet optional
1 teaspoon turmeric (2g)
1 teaspoon ground cumin (2g)
½ teaspoon black pepper (1g)
½ teaspoon pink salt (3g)

To chunkay

2 tablespoon olive oil (28g)
3 garlic cloves chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (2g)

To make the cauliflower rice

1 medium size head of cauliflower
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (2g)
2 chives chopped(scallion/spring onion)
1 small onion sliced
2 tablespoon shado beni (28g) chopped (culantro/spirit weed)
pink salt to taste

Instructions

To soak the dhal

Rinse the split peas several times (I like to do this using a colander) until the water runs clear.
Place split peas in a medium sized bowl and add just enough water (about 4-5 cups) to cover the peas.
Leave to soak overnight or for several hours.Rinse the split peas again and discard the water.

To cook the dhal

Place the split peas in a medium sized saucepan along with the 3 cups of water (keep the ½ cup on reserve), onion, garlic, turmeric, scotch bonnet, cumin, black pepper and pink salt.
Bring to a rolling boil then reduce the heat to medium-low and cover.
Allow to simmer for 30-40 minutes until the peas are tender. Half way through check the water levels and add the additional ½ cup more if needed.
Once softened, remove the saucepan from the heat then using a stick blender or swizzle stick, breakdown the split peas to your desired consistency. I like a thick dhal with less water, if you want yours thin, add more water and keep pulverising the dhal until it is thin in texture.

To chunkay

To chunkay, heat some olive oil in a small frying pan on medium heat, add the chopped garlic and cumin seeds.
Temper the garlic and seeds until they are aromatic and golden.
Carefully pour the infused oil over the dhal and stir.
Do a taste test and add additional black pepper and pink salt if needed.

To make cauliflower rice

Remove the leaves from the cauliflower then use a knife to cut off the base.
Cut the florets into small chunks.
Fix a food processor with an S blade and pulse the small chunks into a fine "rice consistency". You may need to do so in batches and scrap down the bowl and continue to pulse until the "rice" has formed.If using a box grater or microplane use the side with the medium holes and push through to make "rice grains".
On medium heat, add the oil to a large frying pan or skillet.
Add the chives, onion and garlic then saute until soft and translucent.
Add the cauliflower rice, shado beni and pink salt to taste.
Proceed to cook the rice, stirring for 5-7 minutes until the "rice is tender".

Notes

Keep an eye on the dhal as it cooks, if the water starts to recede too much, add ½ cup more at a time (being careful not to add too much).
Keep in mind this recipe is for thick dhal, if you want yours thin then you will need to add double the amount of water.
Any leftovers can be portioned into freezer friendly containers and frozen for up to 3 months.
Refrigerate any dhal for no more than 2 days.
Be sure to soak the split peas as this will lessen the cooking time and get rid of indigestible gases.
Use a stick blender to breakdown your dhal, to keep mine thick, I just press the button on and off a few times, not continuous pulsing.
Chives are Trinidadian for scallion/spring onions.
Shado beni is known as spirit weed or culantro.
If you are in the UK, you can buy it with ease from Asian (i.e Chinese, Filipino, Korean) it is known as "Thai parsley".
For the chunkay-ing it is advisable to use cumin (jeera) seeds NOT ground cumin.
This is not a spicy recipe, if you want more heat use more scotch bonnet or omit it if you don't want any heat at all.
You will need "YELLOW" split peas for this recipe NOT green ones.
You can use frozen cauliflower if you want to, just be sure to thaw it out first. You will need to cook it longer due to the water content.

Nutrition