yellow lentil dal

Cozy and nourishing dal made with yellow moong dal, warming spices, creamy coconut milk and a boost of veggies from fresh spinach. This beautiful dal recipe is packed with plant-based protein and fiber for the perfect, satisfying meal!

The Best Dal Ever by Dada Eats

yellow moong dal or red split lentils

olive oil

yellow onion, diced

(2-inch) knob fresh ginger, grated

garlic cloves, sliced

turmeric

cumin

coriander

cayenne pepper

salt and black pepper

tomato paste

tomatoes

can reduced fat coconut milk (or feel free to use full-fat if you prefer a richer dal)

vegetable broth

baby spinach, roughly chopped

lemon juice

To garnish:

cilantro leaves, roughly chopped,

For serving:

Naan, flatbread, quinoa, or rice

Place the lentils in a medium bowl and cover them with water. Wash the lentils with your hand, tip out the water, and repeat this process until the water runs clear. Cover the lentils with fresh water and soak 30 minutes to 1 hour (this will allow them to cook faster).

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. When it begins to shimmer, add the onions, and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until they start to become tender and translucent. Add the ginger and garlic, and cook with the onions for an additional 2 to 3 minutes until everything starts to brown slightly.

Stir in the turmeric, cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt and black pepper. Roast the masala for 2 to 3 minutes until it smells aromatic and darkens in color.

Add the tomato paste and cook until it deepens in color, 1 to 2 minutes. Now pour in the tomatoes. Continue to cook until the tomatoes reduce slightly, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the coconut milk and vegetable broth to the pot. Simmer for about 5 minutes.

Now add the drained lentils. Cover the pot and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are soft and the curry is thick. Add the spinach and stir until it wilts.

Add the lemon juice and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, so the dal continues to thicken and become luscious. Feel free to simmer further to reach your desired consistency. Taste again and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Garnish the dal with chopped cilantro and serve with naan, flatbread, quinoa, or rice.

Learn how to make a simple but spectacular basic Indian dal recipe with under 10 ingredients. This dish makes a delicious weeknight meal, is loaded with good nutrition, and it is also gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free and vegan.

The Best Dal Recipe

toor dal ((split pigeon peas/arhar dal/tuvar dal/thuvaram paruppu. Whisk the cooked lentils until creamy))

½ tsp turmeric ((haldi/halad/manjal podi))

vegetable oil

tsp black mustard seeds ((rai/sarso/mohri/kadugu))

tsp cumin seeds ((jeera/jeeragam))

tbsp cilantro (((dhaniya/kothimbir/kothamalli. Finely chopped, plus more for garnish))

green chili peppers ((like jalapeno

tomatoes ((finely diced))

Salt

lemon

¼ tsp asafetida ((hing/perungayam))

curry leaves ((kadi patta/karuveppilai))

Cook the lentils until tender. See the FAQs for how to do this in an Instant Pot, a pressure cooker or a pan on the stovetop.

Make the tempering or &quot;tadka&quot;. Heat the oil in a wide saucepan, dutch oven or karahi, then add the mustard and cumin seeds and asafetida, if using. As soon as the mustard seeds sputter, add the cilantro and optional curry leaves and the green chili peppers.

Add the tomatoes. Saute the cilantro and curry leaves for a minute, then stir in the tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes until they have expressed most of their juices and are very soft.

Stir in the lentils. Add the cooked dal (whisk it first to break down the lentils) to the saucepan and mix it well. Add water to thin out the lentils--I add about a cup. You can make the dal as thick or as thin as you like. A thicker consistency is better with rotis, a thinner consistency works well with rice.

Bring to a boil, cover and cook for five minutes. This gives the flavors a chance to meld.

Add lemon juice. Turn off the heat, then add in the lemon juice and garnish with more cilantro, if you like.

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The Best Dal Ever by Dada Eats

The Best Dal Recipe

Top 2 yellow lentil dal recipes from across the web

The most viewed yellow lentil dal recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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The Best Dal Ever by Dada Eats

The Best Dal Recipe

The most viewed yellow lentil dal recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine