Georgina Hayden

Feeding since 1982

Dukkah egg and avo hash

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What an intro to 2015! There have been lurgies, house hunts, port binges and last week I started back at work part-time. Its been lovely to see friendly faces, and even though it’s a bit scary/ daunting at times, I’m enjoying the routine and sociability of it. I just don’t know how I used to get anything done though! So today I stripped it back, went to the gym and made myself some nice food. Super simple day. It feels good to have time at home again and time to breathe.

I’ve genuinely missed my ‘lunches for one’ over Christmas and New Year. I feel like I’ve nourished myself over the last few months, and taken time out to make myself strong again. It feels like a crucial part of my journey, so it’s been good to get back in the kitchen.

Today for lunch I made myself a bang on trend brunch dish (eggs and dukkah) but with a more substantial base. If you ever come to stay at our house chances are I will make you a hash at some point. I love it. Anything goes and its one of our favourite weeknight dinners. And as a very wise person once told me ‘there is no meal that can’t be improved with an egg on top’ and I actually think they’re right.

 

Dukkah egg and avo hash
Not the most perfect egg but tasted darn good!

 

DUKKAH EGG AND AVO HASH

Serves 1 (multiply as needed! Simple as that)

  • 350g potatoes (I like to use half maris piper and half sweet potato for a lighter dish)
  • Olive oil
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • A few sprigs of coriander, leaves picked
  • 1/2 a small onion (or 1/4 of a normal one) red or white, peeled
  • Red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 tablespoon runny honey
  • 1/2 a ripe avocado, sliced
  • 1 large egg, free range or organic
  • 1/2 teaspoon dukkah, homemade or store bought – see below
  • Squeeze of lemon juice

Start by giving you potatoes a good scrub (I leave the skins on for added nutrients and texture) and then cut into even sized chunks. Place in a pan of boiling salted water and boil for around 8 – 10 minutes, depending on the size of your pieces, until cooked through.

Whilst the potato is cooking slice the onion as finely as you can and place in a bowl. Cover with a good splash of red wine vinegar and the honey. Give it all a good stir, making sure the onion is covered in the vinegar mix and leave to one side.

When the potato is cooked drain completely and mash the potatoes in the pan (I like to keep the hash a little chunky so mash the veg enough to break them down but not completely smooth). Add most of the coriander leaves, season well and poor a lug of oil into the bottom of the pan and place it back on a medium heat. Fry the the hash for around 8 – 10 minutes, mixing it up and flipping it over now and then, till it is golden and crisp, with lovely crunchy bits throughout.

Half way through frying the hash, place a small pan of water onto boil and poach the egg to your liking – I do mine for 2.5 minutes for a runny yolk.

Plate up! Spoon the hash onto a plate, scatter over the lightly pickled onions (leaving the vinegar behind) and top with the sliced avocado. Squeeze over a little lemon juice, and finish with the poached egg and sprinkled dukkah (and an extra pinch of salt and pepper). Scatter over any remaining coriander leaves and tuck in.

 

EGYPTIAN DUKKAH

You’ll find dukkah in the spice aisle of most supermarkets now. However if you struggle to get hold of it, or just fancy making your own, it’s dead easy to make. It lasts ages and is fantastic sprinkled on almost anything, especially eggs.

  • 100g sesame seeds
  • 100g blanched almonds or hazelnuts (or a mix)
  • 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
  • 2 tablespoons cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 
  • 1 heaped teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat your oven to 180. Spread the nuts out in a tray and roast in the oven for around 4 minutes, until lightly golden. Pour onto a plate or into a bowl and leave to one side to cool.

Toast the sesame seeds into a dry frying pan until golden and again, spoon into a bowl, and leave to cool. Toast the cumin, coriander and fennel seeds for a minute or so until they start to smell wonderful and remove from the heat. Once all the nuts and seeds have cooled either grind them in a pestle and mortar, or blitz in a food processor with the salt and pepper until you have a coarse blend. Et voila! Homemade dukkah.

My ‘go to’ South Indian dal recipe

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When I published my dal makhani recipe a month or so ago a friend said she loved the sound of it but didn’t have the time to make it (it does take several hours), and do I have any other dal recipes that are quicker? Well, I love nothing more than a request, and of course! I’m just ashamed it’s taken me so long to upload to be honest (I blame the madness of Christmas and New Year).

So, my ‘go to’ South Indian dal. It isn’t strictly authentic, but it is based on several trips to South Indian and eating lots of dal laden with mustard seeds, curry leaves and coconut. This is a real store cupboard comfort food recipe for me; I always have yellow split peas in the cupboard, (it covers so many cuisines – Greek Fava, Swedish soup, Pease pudding, Indian dal…), low fat coconut milk is a key dry store staple for me and my biggest tip? Buy a big bag of curry leaves when you find them and pop them in the freezer. They freeze well and it means they’re always on hand. (You’ll find them in any Indian supermarket or sometimes online. You can use dry if you have them but they’re not as punchy and don’t fry as well).

It might not look like much but this dal is incredibly comforting and really is delicious. It is wholesome, filling and packed with iron and it freezes wonderfully, so perfect for a rainy day. Sarah, I hope you like it!

South Indian dal
South Indian dal

 

MY ‘GO TO’ SOUTH INDIAN DAL

Serves 4 – 6 (serve it as is for a filling and hearty soup or with basmati rice as a meal)

  • 300g yellow split peas, soaked for 20-30 minutes before cooking
  • Groundnut oil or coconut oil
  • 2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
  • a thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 heaped teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 heaped teaspoon heaped ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tin of low fat coconut milk
  • 20 curry leaves
  • 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
  • 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
  • Half a lemon
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pour a lug of groundnut or coconut oil into a large non-stick saucepan and place on a medium low heat. Add the onion, ginger, most of the garlic and saute the veg for 10 minutes until softened but not coloured. Add the turmeric, cumin, coriander and cinnamon and fry for a further 2- 3 minutes.

Drain the yellow split peas, rinse and add to the pan along with the can of coconut milk. Add 600ml of water to the pan, or more, ensure that the split peas are completely covered. Gently bring to the boil and then lower to a simmer and cover the pan. Cook over a low heat for around 1 hour and 15 – 20 mins, so that the split peas have completely cooked through and have turned to mush. Check the dal every so often during cooking, and top up the water if it feels like it is getting too thick. You’ll probably need to add a splash here and then. Squeeze in the lemon juice, season to taste and leave to one side.

EDIT/ NB: Someone just asked me on Instagram if I pureed my dal, as it looks so smooth, which I didn’t. But having said that I did use yellow split peas I bought in Greece which become very creamy. If your peas haven’t completely broken down then do try pureeing them with a hand/ stick blender for a smooth finish.

Add a few tablespoons of groundnut or coconut oil to a small frying pan and place on a medium heat. After a minute or so add the mustard seeds and fry for around 30 secs – 1 minute until the seeds start to pop. Once they do add the garlic, curry leaves and chilli and fry everything for a few minutes, until the garlic and chilli are golden and the leaves look translucent.

Check your dal, as it will probably have thickened a little as it cools, so add a splash of boiling water if it feels too thick. Serve the dal in bowls, and drizzle a little of the temper over the dal- the flavoured oil and leaves, chilli and mustard seeds.

TIPS:

  • l love this recipe with spinach added at the end of cooking. Stir in a handful of frozen spinach balls for the last 5 – 10 minutes of cooking, or a large bag of baby spinach chopped up for the last few minutes. Great for an added iron boost.
  • I didn’t have any fresh green chillies to add to my temper for the picture above, so I ended up just giving it a drizzle of chilli oil before eating, which is totally acceptable too!

Dal Makhani

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India is my total happy place. If I could jump on a plane right now and go anywhere, it would be India – it is beautiful, colourful, fascinating and most of all delicious. (Also with Christmas looming I could really do with not being in this country for a bit). It is the only country in the world I have spent a significant amount of time in and not got bored of the cuisine. Curry for breakfast, lunch AND dinner? Yes. Please.

Rewind a few years and I was lucky enough to go to the opening week of a trendy new London eatery – Dishoom.  A dear friend of mine is the brains behind the incredible menu, and invited us along. It blew us away. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times we have been back since, but if there were a loyalty card system I would be platinum by now. There are so many delicious treats on the menu it is unreal. I try and mix it up every time we go but there is one constant and that is the black dal. Black dal and if I am feeling really naught a side of cheesy naan. Washed down with chai, lots of chai.

I’ve cooked various versions of this recipe, however today I have finally settled on a worthy Dishoom substitute. I know the Dishoom dal is cooked for a whole day, so in comparison my 6 hour version is a quick cook meal! And it is totally delicious. This is what I would consider real healing food –  in the cooking sense and the meal itself. It is wholesome, warming and meditative. For long lazy days at home and bowls of deliciousness.

Dal Makhani
Dal Makhani

 

DAL MAKHANI

Serves 8 – 10 (you can easily halve this recipe but for the time and effort it is definitely worth making a larger batch and then freezing any extra dal for a rainy day)

  • 500g urad dal
  • 50g butter
  • 2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped
  • 12 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
  • A large thumb size piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 heaped teaspoon mild chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • A heaped tablespoon of tomato puree
  • A tin of good quality plum tomatoes
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 500ml organic whole milk
  • Double cream or Greek yoghurt, to serve (optional)

Soak the urad dal in plenty of water the night before you want to cook it.

The next day place the soaked dal in a large saucepan and cover with plenty of fresh water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 40 minutes until the dal is soft (scooping off any scum that comes to the surface). While the dal is cooking saute the veg. Melt the butter in a large non stick saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and soften for 10 – 15 minutes so it is cooked down and soft but not coloured: you want gorgeous sticky onions. Add the cumin and chilli powder to the pan and cook for a couple more minutes before adding the tomato puree. Cook for a few more minutes and then add the tinned tomatoes. Gently crush the tomatoes, breaking them down and bring to a simmer. Cook for 3 – 4 minutes and season generously.

When the dal is cooked, drain and add to the pan with the veg. Pour in the milk and top with enough water to just cover the dal. Bring the mixture to the boil, giving everything a good stir and then reduce the heat to low, so it is gently simmering away. This is where you need time. You could cook this for 1 – 2 hours and it would be ok. But don’t settle for that, you want crazy delicious dal and for that you need to cook it for at least 4 hours. 5 if you can. 6 would be amazing. You could keep going…

Leave the dal ticking away uncovered, giving it a stir every now and then. If it looks like it is getting too dry top it up with a bit more milk, or a bit more water, alternating the two. After a few hours you’ll notice it start to darken, this is great, let it get darker and thicker (try not to drown it in too much liquid) and keep stirring.

Check the seasoning, it is a vast amount of dal so don’t be surprised if it needs more salt and pepper. And serve with poppadoms, rice, naan, chutney, a swirl of cream or yoghurt, or however you fancy. I just like it straight up, it is that good.