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Chicken dhansak

A serving of chicken dhansak in a bowl alongside naan

Chicken dhansak

Name: Chicken dhansak
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 5
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 2 tbsp neutral-tasting oil (such as rapeseed), or ghee; 1 large onion finely chopped; 1 cinnamon stick; 1 tsp cumin seeds; ½ butternut squash peeled and cut into cubes; 1 tsp finely chopped garlic; 400g chicken breast or thigh, cut into cubes; 1 tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp ground coriander; 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder; 1 tbsp tomato purée; 150g dried red lentils; 400g can chopped tomatoes; 1-2 tbsp tamarind paste or to taste; 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves; squeeze of lemon juice to serve; handful of chopped coriander to serve

Dr Chintal Patel

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Serves 5

Easy

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 40 mins

A star rating of 4.7 out of 5.28 ratingsRate

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Make chicken go further with this Parsi curry where lentils create a hearty, creamy texture. It also has sweet and sour flavour notes

Egg-free

Gluten-free

Healthy

Nut-free

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Coconut & squash dhansak

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Indian beef keema with carrots & potatoes

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

2 tbsp neutral-tasting oil

(such as rapeseed), or ghee
1 large onion

finely chopped
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ butternut squash

peeled and cut into cubes
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
400g chicken breast

or thigh, cut into cubes
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1 tbsp tomato purée
150g dried red lentils
400g can chopped tomatoes
1-2 tbsp tamarind paste

or to taste
1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
squeeze of lemon juice

to serve
handful of chopped coriander

to serve

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Nutrition: Per serving

kcal323
fat9g
saturates4g
carbs30g
sugars11g
fibre7g

high
protein27g
salt0.35g

Method

step 1

Heat the oil or ghee in a large, heavy-based pan over a medium heat and cook the onions and cinnamon stick for a few minutes until the onions start to brown. Add the cumin seeds and mix well.
step 2

Tip in the squash and continue to cook for a few minutes more, then add the garlic and cook for 1 min. Stir in the chicken and brown for a few minutes, then add the turmeric, ground coriander, chilli powder and tomato purée, stirring to coat the chicken in the spices.
step 3

Tip in the lentils and canned tomatoes, swilling out the tomato can with water twice and adding this, too. Season with salt to taste and bring to a simmer.
step 4

Add the tamarind to taste, crumble in the fenugreek leaves and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 20 mins more, stirring halfway through.
step 5

Uncover and cook for a few minutes more until the curry has reduced to your desired consistency – the longer it cooks, the thicker it will become, as the lentils will break down into the sauce. Squeeze in a splash of lemon juice and sprinkle over the fresh coriander to serve.

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Overall rating

A star rating of 4.7 out of 5.28 ratings

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