India · Main · Easy
Red Lentil Dal
Rome's most famous pasta. Silky egg and Pecorino sauce clinging to every strand, studded with crisp guanciale. No cream, ever.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Red Lentil Dal, in 5 ideas
- Red lentils need no soaking. They cook faster than any other lentil. If yours are still hard after 20 minutes, they are old. Buy fresh.
- Consistency is personal. Thick like porridge or thin like soup, both are correct. Adjust with hot water at the end.
- Ghee beats oil here. The nutty richness of ghee carries the spices better. Butter is the next best choice.
- Add greens. A few handfuls of spinach stirred in at the end wilt down and make it a complete meal.
- Leftovers thicken. Dal firms up overnight in the fridge. Loosen with water when reheating.
What you need
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups red lentils, rinsed
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
- 4 cups water
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 tomato, diced
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 3 tbsp ghee or butter
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 2 dried red chilies
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- Chopped cilantro, to serve
- Cooked basmati rice, to serve
How to make it
Directions
- Combine the lentils, turmeric, salt, and water in a pot. Bring to a boil, skim any foam, then simmer 18 to 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils collapse into a thick puree.
- While the lentils cook, saute the onion in 1 tablespoon of ghee over medium heat until soft and golden, about 8 minutes. Add the ginger and tomato, cook 3 minutes more until the tomato breaks down.
- Stir the onion mixture into the lentils. Simmer 5 minutes. Thin with hot water if it gets thicker than you like. Taste for salt.
- For the tadka: heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of ghee in a small pan until shimmering. Add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds. When they start popping, add the dried chilies and garam masala. Swirl 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour the sizzling tadka directly over the dal. It will hiss dramatically. Stir half in, leave the rest on top.
- Serve over basmati rice with cilantro scattered on top.
The tadka is the whole dish. Plain boiled lentils are baby food. That sizzling pour of bloomed spices at the end is where all the flavor lives. Do not skip it.