This is an AI-generated image.

Fijian Dhal

Name: Fijian Dhal
Total time: 40 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Fiji
Ingredients: 200g Yellow split peas; 1/2 tsp Turmeric; 1/2 Onion; 3 cloves Garlic; 1 tsp Cumin Seeds; 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds; 1 Red Chili Pepper; 1 tsp Salt; 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil; A pinch Cilantro

Soup

⏱ 40 min

👥 Serves 4

Difficulty ⭐

Yellow split lentils simmered thin and topped with garlic-cumin oil — a staple soup of the Fijian table.

📱 Open in Storage App

🚧 The Storage app is currently in development. Please check back soon.

📖 The Story Behind This Dish

Fijian dhal is a lentil soup that spread from Indo-Fijian homes and is now a staple on every Fijian table regardless of background. It's thinner and soupier than Indian dal, poured over rice or drunk from a cup. It's finished with chhonk — cumin and garlic fried in hot oil — for aroma.

🌆 Where it's eaten: In a village home surrounded by sugarcane fields, a pot of dhal, rice, roti, and curry are laid out for the evening meal as the family begins eating by hand.

🥕 Ingredients (serves 4)

Yellow split peas 200g
Turmeric 1/2 tsp
Onion 1/2
Garlic 3 cloves
Cumin Seeds 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds 1/2 tsp
Red Chili Pepper 1
Salt 1 tsp
Vegetable Oil 2 tbsp
Cilantro A pinch

👩‍🍳 Instructions

Rinse the lentils and bring to a boil with 1L water and the turmeric.
Simmer 30 minutes, skimming, until the lentils break down.
Whisk until smooth and season with salt (thin with water to a soupy consistency).
Heat oil in a small frying pan and add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and dried red chili.
When they pop, add the sliced garlic and onion and fry until golden.
Pour the hot oil over the dhal and scatter with cilantro.

← More Fiji recipes 🗺 Explore another country