Indian Dinner

Good Indian restaurants is something Antwerp is really missing. So when we’re in the mood, we tend to dedicate an entire Sunday preparing dinner. This time we chose to recreate the delicious dahl we had at Dishoom in London’s King’s Cross. Although rather than cooking for 24 hours, I only had the afternoon and let it simmer for 5 hours (the next day it was even more delicious!).

Of course, dahl isn’t enough for dinner – you need sides!

But first things first, kurkuri bhindi, aka Indian okra fries! A colleague of mine brought me back some okra from the market in Brussels (normally okra isn’t so readily available here). Of course I deep-fried it Southern style like back home, but I had some left over – perfect as the starter for our dinner!

Seasoned sliced okra

Kurkuri Bhindi

To accompany the dahl, I prepared two sides – mango chutney and raita. The mango chutney is the perfect sweet condiment to help cut through the spice. Raita is a yoghurt sauce with grated fresh garlic, cucumber, and cilantro – so fresh!

The ingredients for the mango chutney simmering on the stove

Serving of the mango chutney

The raita

For me, an Indian meal is not complete without naan, a soft flat bread. In general bread is Koen’s speciality, and his sour dough garlic naan did not disappoint! Once all of the naan was finished, it was topped with garlic butter, sea salt and cilantro – perfect for scooping up the dahl!

Stack of naan

Dahl with garlic naan and basmati rice

Not to be forgotten – lassis! A lassi is a yoghurt based Indian drink that goes perfectly with spicy dishes. The one I made is a blend of yoghurt, milk, cardamon, and honey topped with saffron. Yum!