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Red Lentil Dahl Recipe

September 1, 2016 Sarah 5 Comments

Red Lentil Dahl Recipe

As a twenty-something living away from home for the first time, my stock standard Red Lentil Dahl Recipe was the perfect, affordable staple. It was filling, it was good for me and, when the cupboard was looking lean, I could make a truckload of the stuff to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Most importantly, making Red Lentil Dahl on a shoestring left me more money each week for Friday nights with friends. 20 years later I still enjoy a good dahl. But these days I stay in more often on Friday nights, so my current Red Lentil Dahl Recipe is less ‘shoestring’ and more ‘pimped’. And it definitely tastes better too.

What makes a good Red Lentil Dahl Recipe?

For me, a good red lentil dahl recipe definitely needs to be three things. It needs to be creamy, it needs to have a nice little kick of heat and it needs to include some lovely warming spices to give it delicious depth.

Creamy Dahl

Three’s noting worse than a watery dahl. As a twenty-something on a shoestring, I combined tinned tomatoes and water as the cooking liquid for my red lentil dahl recipe. While the starch from the lentils thickened the dahl, the recipe was sometimes flat and a bit tomato soup flavoured. These days, to ensure I achieve a creamy dahl everytime, I have replaced some of the water in the recipe with a can of coconut cream. Yes, it has added a few extra calories to the recipe, but the coconut cream gives the dahl a gentle richness that’s hearty and satisfying and, most of all, creamy.

Dahl with Heat

On a shoestring I added ground chilli powder to my red lentil dahl recipe to achieve a delicious dahl with heat. These days I add fresh, green chilli to my dahl. This is more traditional and faithful to Indian cuisine. In India, green chilli is used in curries, eaten deep-fried, added to spice pastes and served as a garnish. Green chillis have a sharp but fresh heat and they add a lovely contrast to the deeper dahl background flavours based on the sautéed onion, garlic and butter.

Warming Dahl

As a twenty-something I don’t think I cared if I was eating a warming dahl. But I’m a bit more discerning these days. So after some dahl recipe research I learned that Garam Masala is often added at the end of Indian curries as a seasoning. Garam Masala is a spice blend that includes flavours like clove, cinnamon, mace and cumin. The word ‘garam’ translates as heat and in Ayurvedic practice, ‘garam’ is understood to mean ‘heating the body’. So the addition of garam masala to the end of this recipe creates a warming dahl without using extra chilli.

I hope you enjoy my Red Lentil Dahl Recipe. While it’s more pimped than shoestring, the recipe will still make a truck load so you can keep eating it for days served with warm naan bread and steamed rice. It’s actually really great for breakfast spooned over a piece of naan bread with a fried egg on top!

 

Red Lentil Dahl Recipe
2016-07-05 23:23:09
Serves 6
A creamy and warming Red Lentil Dahl that's best served with fresh coriander, chilli and toasty naan bread.
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Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 20 min
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 20 min
Ingredients
  1. 2 tablespoons butter
  2. 1 brown onion, finely chopped
  3. 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  4. thumb size piece of ginger, finely grated
  5. 1 green chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped
  6. 2 tablespoons curry powder
  7. 3 cups water
  8. 400ml coconut milk (1 can)
  9. 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  10. 800g diced tinned tomatos (2 cans)
  11. 1 1/2 cups dried red lentils
  12. juice of half a lemon
  13. 2 teaspoons garam masala
  14. salt to taste
  15. coriander
Instructions
  1. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a heavy-based large saucepan over low-medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4 - 5 minutes until soft.
  2. Add the garlic, grated ginger and chilli and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes until aromatic.
  3. Stir in the curry powder and cook for 1 minute until toasted. Then add the water, coconut milk, tomato paste, tinned tomatoes and lentils.
  4. Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to cook for a further 20 minutes.
  5. Stir in the remaining butter, lemon juice and garam masala. Add salt to taste.
  6. Garnish the dahl with chopped coriander and serve with warmed naan bread and rice.
Notes
  1. Keep a check on the saucepan as the dahl simmers and stir from time to time to ensure the dahl doesn't catch on the bottom.
By Sarah
Get Forked and Fly https://getforkedandfly.com/

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Comments

  1. Mark says

    September 2, 2016 at 8:43 am

    Looks great. Why haven’t I tried the breakfast idea yet? Sounds briliiant!

    Reply
  2. Suzanne says

    November 23, 2016 at 6:31 pm

    Just made. It’s delicious. Not sure of how many serves it’s meant to be. Got loads for rest of week.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      November 24, 2016 at 6:58 am

      That’s so great, Suzanne! It is very yummy and makes plenty of leftovers for the next day or three! x

      Reply
  3. Carmel says

    April 22, 2018 at 8:42 am

    Its fool proof and so tasty and creamy, hence me making it a second time.

    It’s a perfect day for it today….the season finally seems to be changing and the rain is falling and I’m cooking it now. The house has a delicious aroma of curry and coconut…..yummmmm

    Reply
  4. Sarah says

    April 23, 2018 at 9:28 am

    You’re right, Carmel! Time to make a bit batch for Meatless Monday! Sx

    Reply

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I’m a food lover - but who isn't! I enjoy Champagne. I have a Brittany named Bentley and a husband known as Mr GF&F or 'Cheese'. I'm not enjoying social distancing. I make a living as a Social Media Manager and I also run Byron Bay Crackers. For a digital detox I like to play in the kitchen. Read More…

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