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Indian restaurant dhansak curry in a karai bowl from the front.
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4.67 from 53 votes

indian restaurant dhansak curry

Indian restaurant dhansak curry adds a little bit of cooked, pureed lentils for texture.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: dhansak
Servings: 2
Calories: 536kcal
Author: romain | glebekitchen

Ingredients

The spice mix

  • 2 tsp indian restaurant spice mix or curry powder - recipe link below
  • 1 tsp kashmiri chili powder or 1/4 tsp cayenne mixed with 3/4 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp kasoor methi - dried fenugreek leaves
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt

The curry ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp oil
  • 1 Tbsp garlic/ginger paste - recipe link below
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste with enough water to dilute to the consistency of pasatta
  • 15 oz curry base
  • 1-2 Tbsp tamarind sauce (not the same as tamarind paste) - more will crank up the tart/sweet nature of this curry. If you want to substitute tamarind paste see the note below.
  • 5-6 Tbsp cooked masoor dahl - make a tarka dahl and use a bit of the lentils in the dhansak
  • 10-12 oz pre-cooked chicken or lamb

Instructions

  • Make the spice mix.
  • Dilute the tomato paste with enough water to get to the consistency of passata.
  • Heat your frying pan (don't use non-stick) briefly over medium heat. Add the oil. Use all the oil specified. It's important.
  • When the oil starts to shimmer add the garlic ginger paste. Add it into the pan and cook it, stirring constantly, until it stops sputtering.
  • Turn down the heat and add the spice mix. This is the critical step. Stir it constantly for 30 seconds. If it starts to darken lift the pan off the heat. You want the spice mix to cook in the oil but not burn.
  • Turn the heat up to medium high. Add the diluted tomato paste and stir until bubbles form (the oil will likely separate). This takes around 30 seconds to one minute depending on the heat.
  • Add 3 oz of curry base. Stir until bubbles form (little craters really), around 30 seconds. Watch the edges of the pan. The curry can stick here.
  • Now add 6 oz of curry base and stir briefly. Let it cook until the bubbles form again. This takes 1-2 minutes.
  • Add the rest of the curry base and let cook until the bubbles form. Turn the heat down to low. Add the tamarind sauce to taste.
  • Stir in the lentils.
  • Now add the pre-cooked lamb, beef or chicken. For a vegetarian version add the paneer and/or pre-cooked vegetables.
  • Let the curry simmer for about 5 minutes. If it gets too thick add a bit more curry base. Don't add water.
  • Garnish with a bit of chopped fresh cilantro and serve.

Notes

Tamarind sauce is a sweet sauce based on tamarind. Maggi makes one that's pretty commonly available. Tamarind paste or tamarind concentrate is not the same thing as tamarind sauce. If you want to try substituting tamarind paste use 1 tsp of tamarind paste and one or two tsp sugar (creep up on it so you don't wind up too sweet). Won't be exactly the same but it will be close.
The recipe for curry base is here.
The recipe for indian restaurant spice mix is here
The recipe for garlic ginger paste is here.
If you haven't read about Indian restaurant technique yet, do that before you start cooking.
Have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go.
If you are making multiple curries, have your curry base warming in a pot on the stove. If you are just making one, microwave it to warm it up right before you start cooking.
Indian restaurants pre-cook their meat so it's ready for service. This recipe assumes the same. To pre-cook chicken, simply simmer it with a bit of curry powder and salt in chicken stock for about 10-15 minutes - until it's barely cooked.
To pre-cook lamb or beef, do the same but plan for 1 to 1/2 hours for lamb and 2 hours or more for beef. You are making stew meat so you are braising until tender. You will need to keep an eye on the level of the stock. For beef use beef stock.
Cooked lentils are the key ingredient in this recipe. Plan on making this one on a day when you are also making a masoor lentil dahl - just set a few spoonfuls aside.

Nutrition

Serving: 2servings | Calories: 536kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 1024mg | Potassium: 1030mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 565IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 3.9mg