Red Lentil Dal is the perfect plant-based Indian meal! Rich, fragrant, and packed with protein for a meal you can feel good about.
Guys, we made it. This red lentil dal is the sixth Indian recipe in a row I’ve shared here on the blog.
If you’re like me, you’ve been loving these recipes and hopefully adding them into your upcoming meal plans.
However, if you’re not a fan of Indian food (howwww???), please accept my apologies for the recent bombardment of deliciously spiced dishes and know that we will soon return to regular (aka, varied) programming.
Okay, now about this recipe.
Dal (sometimes spelled ‘dhal’, ‘dahl’ or ‘daal’) is one of my very favorite Indian dishes because of how quickly it is made.
A red lentil dal cooks really fast, so this whole red lentil recipe is done in 30 minutes start-to-finish.
Red lentils look more orange than red after the cook, especially with the addition of turmeric.
I use Bob’s Red Mill Red Lentils which are grown right here in the Pacific Northwest.
There are a few different ways that people make dal, but my favorite way to is temper the spices and aromatics in oil.
I used to make my red lentil dal by just chucking everything in the same pot, and while it’s still tasty that way, it doesn’t come close to flavor of the tempered version.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, don’t worry. Just read on.
Basically, all you have to do is put some lentils and water in a pot, then fry the rest of the ingredients in oil while the lentils cook.
The hot oil helps release all of the wonderful fragrance and flavor from the garlic, ginger, and spices (tempering!).
The tempered oil and aromatics are then added to the lentils at the last minute (along with some lemon juice) so the flavor stays bright and fresh.
If you have any leftovers, save them in the freezer.
I store mine right next to my frozen naan from Trader Joe’s – perfect for an impromptu Indian lunch!
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Here’s the Recipe!
Indian Red Lentil Dal
It's amazing what a few fragrant ingredient and spices can do to a pot of lentils! Serve with plenty of naan bread and basmati rice for the perfect Indian meal.
Ingredients
- 1 cup red lentils, rinsed
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 green chili pepper, stemmed, seeded, and minced (serrano for spicy, jalapeno for more mild)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon finely minced ginger root
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 medium tomato, diced
- Juice of one half a lemon
- Chopped cilantro leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Place the rinsed lentils in a medium saucepan along with 3 cups of room temperature water. Turn the heat to medium and allow the lentils to cook for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium skillet set over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and cinnamon stick; cook for 60 to 90 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the onion, green chili pepper, garlic, and ginger; cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the onions are turning translucent.
- Add the turmeric, cardamom, paprika, salt, and tomato to the pan. Cook until the tomato begins to fall apart, about 2 to 3 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick.
- Once the lentils are cooked, drain off any excess water. Stir the spiced onion mixture into the pot of lentils. Add the lemon juice and stir well. Taste and add salt as needed.
- Garnish with cilantro; serve with basmati rice and naan.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1/4th the recipeAmount Per Serving Calories 168Total Fat 4gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 0mgSodium 557mgCarbohydrates 29gFiber 6gSugar 13gProtein 6g
The wonderful people over at Bob’s Red Mill were kind enough to sponsor this dal recipe. I love supporting local companies!
There are many ways to spell dal and so it is fine to use any of these varieties: red lentil dal recipe, red lentil dahl recipe, red lentil daal recipe, or red lentil dahl recipe.
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Comments
Can brown lentils be used instead?
Hi Michelle,
I wouldn’t use brown lentils for this recipe they are greatly different than red lentils. There are some red lentils available on Amazon, it may take a few days for shipping. Check them out here: https://amzn.to/3btRGSm.
– Linda
Can I use green lentils for this recipe?? The stores around here are out of red. Thank you!
Hi Kasie,
I wouldn’t use green lentils for this recipe. They take longer to cook, don’t get as mushy, which is what you want in this recipe and the don’t have the same sweet, nutty flavor. There are some red lentils available on Amazon, it may take a few days for shipping. Check them out here: https://amzn.to/3btRGSm.
– Linda
Hey,
Made this tonight it tastes so good!
One question I have is that mine has much less liquid than yours – how does yours (in the pictures) seem to have so much sauce?
Thanks!
Loara
I think the photo may seem more liquid than is there. It is pretty thick, but you can add water to make it more saucy if you desire.
This is a nice recipe.
I threw in a cup of roasted pumpkin pieces and 120g of baby spinach that needed to be used up, and served with basmati rice and roti.
Most of the Indians love lentils. I also like them. I will be making lentils as per your recipe. Thanks for sharing!
I have some confusion on the term tea spoon. I know in India the teaspoon is the larger one than in Holland f.i. where we also use a tiny teaspoon. Is your recipe with the Indian type of teaspoon?
It is a U.S. teaspoon, which equates to 4.9 milliliters.
Looks great! Can I use powered cinnamon rather than a stick? If so how much should I use?
Hi Jess,
Yes, you can use powdered cinnamon instead of the stick. Use one-half to one teaspoon of ground cinnamon in place of one cinnamon stick. The best way to do it in this recipe is to add the minimum (one-half teaspoon of the ground cinnamon), taste, and then add more if desired.
-Linda
Made this yesterday and it was really delicious, thanks. I will definitely make this again 🙂
Do you discard the water from the lentils after they cook and before you combine the other ingredients?
Great question! Yes, if there’s excess liquid then drain it off. I’ve updated the recipe card 🙂
This is sooooo good and really easy to make. I will definitely be making this again.
Dal is an everyday recipe in Indian Kitchen as it is a good source of protein. My mom used to cook Dal almost every alternate day and used to serve it in a full bowl with rice or bread and other veggies. But I use to consume only as much Dal as needed to finish my diet. This irritates her a lot and used to howl on me PunamPaul.com and finish your Dal. This happened almost every day.
Just thought sharing with you!
Nice to see Dal recipe too on your blog.
Looks tasty! How many peeps does this feed?
This dish sounds delish and I have been wanting to try my hand on the odd indian dish, but we are big whips when it comes to hot/spice food. How spice would you rate this, not using Serrano peppers?
Without the pepper, it is not spicy-hot, but it is well-spiced (seasoned).
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but step 4, do you discard the Cinnamon stick AS you’re adding those ingredients or AFTER you cook them 2-3 mins?? THANKS!
After the 2-3 minutes 🙂
Is it alright to use plain old cinnamon instead of a cinnamon stick?
Give it a shot! Just don’t add it until you add all the other ground spices, or it will burn and turn bitter.
Dal is my favorite dish thanks for sharing and i also love indian food