My neighbour's kitchen: Gujarati dhal

I do $10 yoga and dhal nights at my yoga school in Leichhardt, Sydney. I take the group through a 70-minute yoga class and then they enjoy a complimentary bowl of my version of my grandmother’s traditional dhal.

Dhal is the perfect meal after yoga; it’s delicious and nutritious, but it doesn’t leave you feeling heavy. I serve it with rice, coriander leaves and Gujarati Methia mango pickle, which is very different from mango chutney. It’s not as sweet, and is the only pickle I use; you can find it at most Indian food shops. I’ve tweaked the recipe by using quick-cook red lentils in place of the traditional tuvar dal (or tooval dal) and, for a healthier option, I add a splash of olive oil at the end, instead of ghee.

The real secret to a great Gujarati dhal, however, is mixing through a little sugar and lemon juice after you take it off the heat – it gives it that wonderful sweet and sour flavour that you don’t get with other dhals. Though, I probably shouldn’t have shared that... Gujarati women will probably want to kill me now.

Recipe

Gujarati dhal