Red Lentil Dahl

Safira

This Red Lentil Dahl is flavourful and aromatic. Made with red split lentils, this is a easy and highly adaptable recipe.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 10

Total Time 40

Course Dinner

Cuisine Indian

Servings when served with rice

Calories 359 kcal

Ingredients

Boil Red Lentil Dahl

200 g Split Red Lentils
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Salt
½ tsp Black Pepper

Tempering

60 ml Oil Veg or Sunflower
1 tbsp Cumin Seeds
10 Curry Leaves
1 ½ inch Ginger crushed
7 Garlic Cloves Sliced finely
2 Green Chillies pierced

To Finish

2 tbsp Tomato Puree
4 heaped tbsp Fried Onions I used store brought
1 ½ tsp Coriander Powder
3 Dry Red Chillies
1 tsp Ground Garam Masala

Instructions

Add red lentils to 1 litre of water, salt, chilli powder, turmeric and black pepper. Lower heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes. You will need to check this occassionally as it may stick to the bottom of the pot. Add a spalsh of water if this is the case. Blend using a stick blender.
Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, curry leaves, ginger, sliced garlic and green chillies. Pour over the Dal and cook for 2 - 3 minutes.
Add tomato puree, crispy fried onions, coriander powder, dry red chillies and garam masala. Cook for 10 minutes.

Notes

Variations

Garlic - There is a lot of Garlic in this recipe. Feel free to adjust the quantity of Garlic.

Onions - Fried Onions are available to buy in the Supermarkets. If you prefer not to use them, saute 1 onion at the beginning and add to the red lentils during the boiling stage or just add a chopped onion.

Dal – You can use most Dals in this recipe but I would not recommend Green Mung Dal like I use in this recipe or Dal that won’t break down like Chana Dal that is used in this recipe.

Veg - You can add Spinach/Kale and any other green leafy veg to the Daal towards the end of the cooking time. You can also add other vegetables that you like. If you do add root veg, they will require more cooking time or you can pre roast them before adding them to the Dal.

Fried Egg - Adding a fried egg to Dal makes it so delicious and also the most comforting meal ever.

Tempering/Tadka – This is a flavoured oil that is poured on top of Dal. Add whatever you like here. I tend to go for LOADS of garlic, Curry Leaves and Cumin Seeds. You can also add Dry red chillies, ginger, mustard seeds, Hing.

Storage

Red Lentil Dahl lasts up to 2 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, add a splash of water and warm gently on the stove top or in a microwave.

You can freeze the this Dal for up to 2 months in an air tight container.

You can also freeze just the boiled Red Lentils for up to 2 months. Many people do this to save time for more time consuming Dal recipes. To reheat, simply thaw in the fridge overnight or take it out of the freezer on the morning that you intend to use it. The proceed with the recipe as normal.

How to serve Red Lentil Dahl

This Dal is great served with Jeera Rice, Papad (Papadums), Achaar (Pickles – I love Mango or Lime) and Kacumbur (Cucumber, Tomato and Onion Salad) or Raita (Yoghurt and Cucumber or Yoghurt and Red Onion).

Nutrition

Calories: 359kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 14gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 688mgPotassium: 618mgFiber: 17gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 389IUVitamin C: 61mgCalcium: 73mgIron: 5mg

Keyword Daal, Dahl, Dal, Red Lentil Daal

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