Make this dhansak curry sauce recipe and add the main ingredient of choice
If you are looking for an amazing dhansak curry sauce recipe, you’ve come to the right place! I have made this British Indian restaurant (BIR) classic many time. Make it and your dhansak curries will be just like those you find at the best curry houses.
You can add the main ingredient/s of your choice to this dhansak sauce.
The history of the dhansak curry.
Dhansak is a Parsi Dish. The Parsi people have lived in India for about 1300 years after migrating from Iran. Parsi cuisine is a mix of Gujarati vegetarian food and non-vegetarian Iranian food.
In India, dhansaks are special curries, usually cooked for special events like weddings. Although they are often vegetarian, they are usually made with mutton and two or three vegetables and served with brown rice. A selection of popular lentils are also added.
Dhansaks – British Indian restaurant BIR style
The curry house version of a dhansak is a lot simpler to make and contains fewer ingredients too.
Many chefs add pineapple to their dhansak curries to give it a sweeter flavour.
Not all chefs do though so you will have to decide whether or not to add the pineapple in this recipe.
Personally, I’m not a big fan of pineapple but it does work well in this dhansak curry sauce recipe.
At curry houses, the chefs usually only add one time of cooked lentils. These are usually the red split lentils but feel free to try others.
Using a base curry sauce.
Curry house style dhansak curry sauce calls for a prepared base curry sauce. My ‘go to’ recipe is right here.
Planning ahead
If you are planning a curry feast or just want to make serving your dhansak easier, you can make this recipe a day or two ahead of serving.
In fact, the sauce will get better as the flavours develop!
If you love this Dansak curry sauce recipe you might like to try some of these.
Tikka masala sauce
Korma sauce
Pasanda sauce
Chasni sauce
Chilli garlic sauce
Ceylon sauce
Pathia sauce
Jalfrezi sauce
Keema sauce
Bhuna sauce
Methi sauce
Madras sauce
Vindaloo sauce
Phaal sauce
How To Make An Authentic Indian Chicken Dhansak
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
- 1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp mixed powder
- 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 70ml (1/4 cup) tomato puree
- 250ml (1 cup) base sauce
- 90g (1/2 cup) cooked red lentils
- 60ml (scant 1/4 cup) pineapple juice
- 3 tinned pineapple rings - cut into cubes (optional)
- Juice of one lemon
- 1 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro) finely chopped
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the garlic and ginger paste and fry for about 30 seconds to cook off the rawness.
- Stir in the turmeric, mixed powder and chilli powder and stir the spices into the garlicky oil.
- Now add the tomato puree and bring it to a simmer. Then add about half of the base sauce and bring this to a simmer too. Only stir the sauce if it looks like it is sticking to the pan.
- Add the remaining base sauce and the pineapple juice. If you don't like pineapple juice, you could add some stock or a little more base sauce.
- Now is a good time to add your main ingredient of choice. This could be chicken lamb, prawns, whatever you like. If you are just making the sauce for use later, you don't have to add any main ingredient.
- Stir in the lentils. Be careful not to burn them. If your curry sauce is looking dry, you could add more base sauce.
- To finish, stir in the pineapples chunks (if using) and garnish with fresh coriander (cilantro). Taste and season with salt to taste.
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I hope you enjoy this dhansak curry sauce recipe. If you do try it, please leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you.
Thanks Dan,
made this tonight with mixed vegetables ( onion, bel pepper, chickpeas), that I baked in advance,
any spicing you’ d recommend?
where does the lemon juice come in?
thansk for sharing all these great recipes!!
Best regards from the Netherlands
Jos
Hi
Just add a little lemon juice to taste at the end.
Thanks
Dan
Really enjoy your recipes and your book, The Curry Guy. I love a traditional dhansak as enjoyed while I lived in London for many years, but I’m surprised this recipe does not include what I understand is some of the staple ingredients to give it that sweet, spicy tang; Tamarind, vinegar and sugar. Maybe the pineapple juice does the trick, but I would be surprised you don’t need any sugar. Wonder what your thoughts are on those ingredients. Oddly, here in Vancouver, I have not found a single restaurant that does a dhansak, so making my own is the only way. Cheers!
Feel free to add sugar if you like it sweeter, I don’t like it sweet but that is up to you. You can also add a teaspoon of tamarind if you like that flavour.
Thanks
Dan
Thank you. How important is Kashmiri chilli powder. I can’t find it in Vancouver. And what do you think of aluminium cooking pans. I don’t use any, but I see them used in restaurants, so wonder why they are better than non-stick or stainless steel.
Just use whatever chilli powder you can get hold of. Kashmiri is a mild one so just add to taste.
aluminium pans are good for allowing caramelisation of the curries and you scrape the sauce as it caramelises on to side into the curries. You can use non stick or stainless steal but is harder to get the caramelisation.
Thanks
Dan
Hi Dan – I remember cooking this years ago after finding it online, and it was lovely. Has your recipe changed? I think ‘mixed powder’ would have thrown me. What is that? Also, have you always included the pineapple chunks? That looks a bit scary.
I don’t think my recipe has changed. You can find mixed powder in any Asian shop and also make your own if you prefer, I have a recipe on my web site.
I always use pineapple chunks in my recipe but just miss them out if you don’t like pineapple.
Thanks
Dan