Dal

Three approaches to dal - try them and pick your favourite.

Prep (For All Recipes)

Before cooking any recipe:

1. Wash lentils twice, draining the water each time
2. On the third wash, leave the water in and transfer to cooking pot (prevents lentils sticking to vessel)
3. Set aside to soak for 1 hour
4. When cooking, boil in water (no other ingredients yet)
5. When foam rises, skim and discard it (2-3 times) - this removes purines/uric acid, easier on joints and kidneys

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Option 1: Simple Tadka Dal

From Curating The Table with Ayurvedic tip

Minimal spices in the dal itself. The magic is in the tadka.

Ingredients (serves 4)

Dal:

• 1 cup red lentils (masoor dal), washed
• 5 cups water (3.5-4 cups for induction/electric)
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1½ tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste (fresh, garlic-forward)
• Salt to taste

Tadka:

• A knob of butter or ghee (or just 1 tsp oil for lighter version)
• 1 small red onion, finely sliced
• 4-5 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• Pinch of hing (asafoetida, optional)
• Pinch of Kashmiri red chili powder

To Serve:

• Basmati rice, raita, salad, lime pickle
• Fresh coriander, squeeze of lime

Method

1. Get all ingredients ready.
2. After skimming foam (see above), add tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, salt
3. Simmer covered ~20 minutes until creamy
4. Mash lightly with a ladle
5. Tadka: Melt butter in small pan, add cumin and hing, then onions and garlic. Fry until golden. Finish with chili powder
6. Pour hot tadka over dal, cover 1 minute
7. Squeeze lime, garnish, serve

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Option 2: Dal Review (Updated)

Modified from Rainbow Plant Life - Full recipe

More spiced, coconut-based. Richness comes from coconut milk, dates, and sun-dried tomato paste.

Ingredients (per 1 cup red lentils)

Aromatics:

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-inch fresh ginger, grated
• 1-2 serrano peppers, diced (deseed for mild)
• 10-15 pearl onions, quartered (or 1 small red onion, diced)

Spices (1 tbsp each):

• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp red chili powder
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Dal Base:

• 1 cup red lentils, rinsed
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• ½ can (200g) crushed tomatoes
• 1 raw tomato, chopped
• 1 sachet (2 tbsp) tomato paste
• 1 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
• 3-4 dates, pitted and chopped

Finish:

• 1 can (400ml) full-fat coconut milk
• ¼ large lemon, juiced (or juice of ½ small lemon)
• Optional: Handful of spinach, handful of sliced mushrooms
• Fresh coriander for garnish

Method

1. Get all ingredients ready.
2. After skimming foam from lentils (see above), set aside
3. Heat coconut oil, sauté garlic, ginger, peppers, and pearl onions for 2-3 minutes
4. Add all ground spices (1 tbsp each), stir 1 minute to bloom
5. Add broth, lentils, crushed tomatoes, raw tomato, tomato paste, sun-dried tomato paste, and dates. Simmer covered 20-25 minutes
6. Optional: Add spinach and mushrooms in last 10 minutes of cooking
7. Stir in coconut milk, simmer uncovered 5-7 minutes
8. Add lemon juice, adjust seasoning
9. Garnish with coriander, serve with rice or naan

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Option 3: Restaurant-Style Dal Tadka

From YouTube

The restaurant secret is a richer tadka with more aromatics, and optionally smoking the dal (dhungar method).

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

Dal:

• 1 cup toor dal (or mix of toor and masoor dal)
• 3 cups water
• ½ tsp turmeric
• Salt to taste
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1-inch ginger, chopped

Tadka:

• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• Pinch of hing (asafoetida)
• 2-3 dry red chilies
• 4-5 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• ½ tsp red chili powder
• ½ tsp coriander powder
• Fresh coriander for garnish

Optional - Dhungar (Smoking):

• Small piece of charcoal
• 1 tbsp ghee

Method

1. Get all ingredients ready.
2. After prep (see above), pressure cook dal with turmeric, salt, tomato, ginger and water for 3-4 whistles (or simmer 25-30 mins)
3. Mash dal to creamy consistency
4. Tadka: Heat ghee, add cumin seeds and let sizzle. Add hing, dry red chilies, garlic - sauté 1 minute. Add onions, cook until golden. Add tomatoes, cook 3-4 minutes. Add chili powder and coriander powder
5. Pour hot tadka over dal, mix well
6. Optional dhungar: Place small steel bowl in dal pot. Heat charcoal until red-hot, place in bowl. Pour 1 tbsp ghee over charcoal, immediately cover pot. Let smoke infuse 5-10 minutes
7. Garnish with fresh coriander, serve with rice or roti

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Notes

• Option 1 - Simple, minimal spices, flavour comes from the tadka
• Option 2 - Vegan, coconut-based, more heavily spiced
• Option 3 - Restaurant-style with richer tadka and optional smoking
• All benefit from the washing/soaking and foam-skimming prep
• All improve overnight (good meal prep)