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roasted romanesco dhansak
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5 from 2 votes

Roasted Romanesco Dhansak

An intensely flavoursome roasted romanesco dhansak with a sweet/savoury and perfectly spiced tomato curry sauce, with a punch of lime. A delicious easy dinner packed with veggies and flavour.
Prep Time50 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: Roasted Romanesco Dhansak
Servings: 4
Calories: 390kcal
Author: Richard Makin

Equipment

  • Stick Blender

Ingredients

For the Roasted Romanesco

  • 500 g romanesco
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¾ teaspoon garam masala
  • pinch of flaky sea salt

For the Dhansak

  • 1 yellow onion (large)
  • 4 tablespoon sunflower oil
  • 160 g moong dal
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • ½ teaspoon fenugreek powder
  • ¼ teaspoon chilli powder
  • 30 g fresh ginger (peeled and finely chopped or grated)
  • 2 cloves of garlic (crushed finely)
  • 2 fresh chillis
  • tomatoes (Chopped. If using tinned, this is one whole tin)
  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  • 1 lime
  • small bunch of fresh coriander

Instructions

To Roast the Romanesco

  • Preheat the oven to 180c
  • Break the romanesco into florets (using a paring knife where necessary). Add to a large bowl and dress with the olive oil cumin seeds, ground ginger, garam masala and a good pinch of flaky sea salt.
  • Place in the oven and roast for 30 minutes or until browned and cooked through. While the romanesco roasts, make the rest of the curry.

To Make the Dhansak

  • Halve the yellow onion. Dice one half and roughly chop the other into larger strips.
  • Place a medium saucepan over medium heat and add a tablespoon of the sunflower oil. Add the diced half of the onion and fry until softening and turning translucent. Add the moong dal and ½ a teaspoon of the ground turmeric. Stir to combine and cover with water. Place the lid on and bring to a simmer before reducing the heat to low.
  • Allow the lentils to cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are completely cooked and the mixture resembles a very loose porridge.
  • While the lentils cook, place a large saucepan over a medium heat. Before adding any oil, toast the remaining turmeric, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, garam masala, fenugreek powder and chilli powder in the dry saucepan until smoking slightly and very fragrant. Transfer the spices to a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder and grind well. Set aside.
  • Add the remaining 3 tablespoon sunflower oil to the hot pan, followed by the roughly chopped half of the onion. Fry until the onions are turning translucent but don't allow them to brown.
  • Add the ginger, garlic and chillis and stir to combine before cooking for a few minutes. Add the spices, chopped tomatoes and light brown sugar. Stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low and allow the tomatoes to cook, stirring regularly, until no longer holding their shape.
  • The lentils should now be cooked. Add half of the lentils to the tomato mixture and stir to combine. Remove the remaining half of the lentils from the heat and use a stick blender to puree them before adding to the curry.
  • Finally, add the roasted romanesco to the curry and stir to combine. Add the juice of half the lime and season to taste with flaky sea salt. Top with the chopped coriander before serving with steamed basmati rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 390kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 47mg | Potassium: 609mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 756IU | Vitamin C: 168mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 7mg