Dinner
Sri Lankan Dhal and Caramelised Onion Tarte Tatin
A Sri Lankan-French original, a French upside-down tart built with caramelised onions and a Sri Lankan red lentil dhal base so the slow-cooked onion sweetness and the turmeric and coconut milk lentils are layered structurally beneath a golden shortcrust lid.
$3
15 minsPrep
55 minsCook
70 minsTotal
MediumLevel
Nutrition per serving
520Calories
16gProtein
28gFat
48gCarbs
8gSugar
6gFiber
720mgSodium
65mgChol
0gSat Fat
Goes well with
Belgian Wheat Beer (Witbier)
local
Sri Lankan Tea (Ceylon Black Tea)
international
Vegetarian
fusion-kitchen
Instructions
1
Prep
Thinly slice 3 large onions. Rinse 100g red lentils. Finely grate 1 garlic clove, finely chop 0.5 small green chilli. Have coconut milk, stock, spices, curry leaves, yoghurt, coriander, and pastry sheet ready.
2
Saute
Melt 40g butter with 1 tbsp oil in a 20cm ovenproof frying pan over medium-low heat. Add onions, 1 tsp sugar, and 0.5 tsp salt. Cook 30–35 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until deeply caramelised and jammy.
3
Simmer
While onions cook, combine lentils, 200ml coconut milk, 150ml stock, 0.5 tsp turmeric, 0.5 tsp cumin, 0.5 tsp mustard seeds, 8 curry leaves, garlic, chilli, and 0.5 tsp salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer uncovered 15–18 minutes until lentils are soft and mixture holds its shape.
4
Build
Preheat oven to 200°C. Spread dhal evenly over caramelised onions, pressing gently to compact. Drape shortcrust pastry over top, tucking edges down inside the pan around the filling.
5
Bake
Bake 25–28 minutes until pastry is deep golden and crisp. Remove from oven and rest 3 minutes until the tart has set slightly.
6
Invert and plate
Place a plate larger than the pan firmly over the top and invert in one confident move. The tart releases cleanly with caramelised onions on top. Spoon 80g yoghurt alongside, scatter 5g coriander over the tart, and serve with lime wedges.
Serves
2 portions ·
2 adults, 0 over 10, 0 under 10
Ingredients
- 33 large onions (600g)
- 40g40g unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp1 tsp soft brown sugar
- 1 tsp1 tsp fine sea salt
- 100g100g red lentils
- 200ml200ml coconut milk
- 150ml150ml vegetable stock
- 0.5 tsp0.5 tsp ground turmeric
- 0.5 tsp0.5 tsp ground cumin
- 0.5 tsp0.5 tsp mustard seeds
- 88 curry leaves
- 1 clove1 clove garlic
- 0.50.5 small fresh green chilli
- 11 sheet ready-made shortcrust pastry (250g)
- 80g80g full-fat Greek yoghurt
- 5g5g fresh coriander
- lime wedges
