Unique Christmas Dinner Ideas from Burbury Wholefoods

Natasha Burbury and Thomas Ziegler (Tash and Tom) from Byron Bay based catering company Burbury Wholefoods create sustainable and positive intentioned food that inspires others to create a more meaningful connection with their food. 

Tash and Tom do this by celebrating local and organic produce, supporting producers and growers that utilise regenerative forms of agriculture. They also create incredibly delicious and hearty vegetarian dishes. And they were generous enough to share this scrumptious Light Christmas Dahl, for a unique take on Christmas dinner... or to eat after all the Christmas lunch feasts!

Sustainable and Delicious Light Christmas Dahl 

Ingredients 

5 medium red radish (500g), halved 

1 medium sweet potato (600g), cubed 

2 cups split yellow moong dahl, soaked for minimum 4 hours

1 tsp coriander seeds 

1 tsp cumin seeds 

8 cardamon pods 

1 tsp fennel seeds 

1 1/2 cup leek (100g), diced 

2 tbsp coriander stems, finely chopped 

1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated with skin on 

1 tsp garlic, minced 

1 tsp ground turmeric 

1 cup coconut cream 

10 baby tomatoes 

Olive oil 

Salt and Pepper 

Lemon tahini sauce 

1⁄2 cup tahini 

1⁄2 cup cold water 

1 lemon, to make 

2 tbsp of juice 

1 tsp garlic, minced 

1⁄2 tsp salt 

To serve 

Pesto they have a great one feature in their book: Anything's Possible Cookbook 

Coriander leaves

Method

Soak the dahl the night before and rinse thoroughly. 

Preheat oven to 180°C fan. Line a baking tray with a reusable SUSTOMi Silicone Baking Sheet or Silicone Baking Mat. Add radish and sweet potato, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 40 minutes or until golden. 

While the veggies are baking, put the dahl and 4 cups of water into a large pot and place on low to medium heat. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the dahl is cooked. You will know it’s cooked when you can squish it easily between two fingers. 

While the dahl is cooking, in a mortar and pestle, grind the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel, and cardamom pods. Set aside. 

Put 1 tbsp of olive oil into a separate medium fry pan and place on medium-high heat. Once hot, add the leek and sauté for 4-5 minutes, or until translucent. Add the ground spices from the mortar and pestle as well as the coriander stems, ginger, garlic, and turmeric. Continue to fry, stirring frequently, for a further 1-2 minutes to release the flavors from the spices. 

Once the dahl is cooked, add everything from the pan to the dahl in the pot with the coconut cream and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in 1 tsp of salt, and set aside. 

Bring a clean dry pan to medium to high heat. Grill the tomatoes until charred on each side. Set aside. 

Sauce 

While the dahl is cooking, place all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until combined. You will know it is done when the tahini becomes whiter in colour. Add more water if you would like it to be thinner. Once blended, transfer to a small bowl and set aside. 

To serve 

Stir through half of the roasted vegetables into the dahl. Evenly place the rest of the roast vegetables on top with the grilled tomatoes. Drizzle over tahini sauce and dollops of pesto. Finish with coriander leaves.

Store left-over Dahl in a leak-proof Reusable Silicone Food Pouch, you can put this in the freezer and enjoy in a few weeks time! Otherwise place left overs in a bowl and cover with an Extra Large Beeswax Wrap.

Check out this blog for more tips on Staying Healthy over Christmas