I have always loved dahl. Its deeply warming and satisfying, and comes in so many variations. This Wild Dahl recipe uses hedgerow seeds to make a truly heavenly dish. Even though I am blowing my own trumpet, I have to say this simple dahl recipe surpassed even my expectations.
We have some truly divine wild spices in our hedgerows!
Over the Autumn I collected rock samphire, wild fennel and alexanders seeds, combined them with some dried pine needle shoots (think rosemary) and a little turmeric and you have a dahl recipe mix that will have your tongue slapping about wanting more.
Ingredients Part 1: Dahl Mix
- 2 medium onions (finely chopped)
- 3 garlic cloves (roughly chopped)
- 1 red pepper (chopped)
- 1 fresh red chili (chopped, seeds & all)
- 1 cup of dried red lentils
- 2½ cups of water
Ingredients Part 2: Wild Spice Mix
- ½ tsp rock samphire seeds (ground)
- ¼ tsp wild fennel seeds (ground)
- ½ tsp alexanders seeds (ground)
- ½ tsp dried pine shoots (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp turmeric
- salt & pepper
Grind and mix together all the spices into a course powder. Use as instructed below.
Suggested Instructions
- Fry onions until translucent, then add the Wild Spice mix along with the garlic, red pepper, red chili and continue frying until the onion starts to brown.
- Add the lentils, stir quickly to coat them in the mixture, then add 2 cups of water.
- Bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer until the lentils have dissolved into a thick sauce. You may need more water, so keep an eye on the dahl.
- Serve on its own or with rice or chapati or bread.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
This recipe sounds good and i want to try it.
Would the samphire seeds pine shoots and alexander seeds be picked from the wild or can you use a commercial supply?
I am not quite sure what samphire is and exactly what part of the pine you are referring to?
Thanks,
Joseph
Could you so kind as to elaborate some more
Joseph: Commercial supply? Robin scratches head! The point of foraging for me is to reconnect to landscape, to eat as local as possible, its about food steps rather than food miles. Sticking a credit card into a website to buy ‘wild seeds’ from hundreds of miles is not foraging. Learn your plants and forage. The experience of going out gathering with friends, then coming home to prepare a meal together can’t be ‘bought virtually’… you have to do it. Foraging is hand-on.
Pine shoots are the young new growth of needles on the tips. Here are the botanical names of the plants so you can look them up in your wild flower ID books:
Rock Samphire (Crithmum maritimum) – dried seeds
Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum) – dried seeds
Pine Family (Pinaceae)
Sounds good. Can you tell me which supermarkets sell these seeds please.
Hi Robin,
I’m a big fan of wild garlic and used it by an large finely chopped in salad or to wrap and stuff trout for roasting. But my partner, Ros, inventd one of the best dishes I know. Rub a small deep baking tin with oil, line with randsom leaves, plenty hangging over th sides. Fill with dahl. Grate cheese over the top and then fold the ransoms over that. (or grate the cheese over the leaves). Stick it in medium oven for 20 mins or so. Be prepared for a most fantastic taste and texture!
Thanks Robin
this sounds really warming and tasty; just the thing for a meal after a productive day’s work out in the cold.
Some of the plants don’t grow near me, but I can usually find someone to swap with to try something like this.
Ray, thank Ros for me ? I fancy that dish too
Best regards,
M
Ray: Sounds awesome, will give it a try.
Fergus: This is a foraging blog, buying these seeds commercially defeats the whole point of foraging. Read my comment to Joseph re “commercial supply”.
Thanks for the great recipe, Robin. I love dahl and have only just recently started foraging. It still makes me a bit nervous but I am learning.
Wow, sounds great. An “all wild” spiced dish. I’m not sure I can be bothered to go out and pick all that stuff though as it might rain. Where can I buy them?
