I’m not kidding. When I make dal, I eat it for days. One cup makes a pretty hefty batch that you will be savoring all week. This epic lentil dish is filling and satisfying. Like many of our mothers, my mama was a working mama. That means she had limited time to make healthy dishes for the family and just as important, healthy dishes for herself. That’s why there was always some in the fridge and was a staple in my home growing up. Now that I’m a mama, I keep a batch of this on hand in case my guys need a fast meal. This dish will not eat up your time and is simple to make. Dal, which is made from lentils and thicker than lentil soup, is packed with fiber, protein and rich in nutrients. Plus their hearty texture will keep you happy with every bite. Combine them with onion, garlic and all the healing spices and you have yourself one savory and ultra healthy dish!
Ingredients
5 cups of water
1 cup of brown (Masoor) lentils
1 heaping tbsp of tomato paste
1 tsp of turmeric
1 tsp of salt
pinch of chili pepper or more if you like the heat
1/2 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1″ nub of ginger, chopped finely
1 tbsp oil
Method
Fill the pressure cooker with 5 cups of water. Add the lentils, tomato paste, turmeric, salt and chili pepper. Place the lid onto the pressure cooker and lock it into place. Turn the heat up just under high (high-medium). Wait for the whistle. The top of the pressure cooker will whistle and blow out steam for a few seconds. Allow for 5 whistles to occur. After the 5th whistle, turn the stove off and take the cooker off of the element. DO NOT open right away. Allow the cooker to cool before opening (wait approx. 10-15 minutes). Nobody wants hot steam all close to them!
While your waiting: heat the oil in a small sauce pan. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook on medium as you stir the ingredients. Turn the heat to low-medium. You want the onion, garlic and ginger to be translucent and not brown.
Once the cooker has cooled, unlock the lid and remove it. Stir in the onion, garlic, ginger mix and cook on medium for 5-8 minutes, occasionally giving it a stir.
The Dal may seem a bit watery. Allow it to sit for sometime as it will absorb some of the water and become thicker.
Eat this meal with a little fresh cucumber or radish on top with a drizzle of lemon and you won’t be sorry.
Sharon Amrik
Making this! 😍
Yay! Let me know how it turns out! <3
Would you make this about the same with yellow or black lentils?
Hi Nicole! Different lentils have cook have different cook times. Yellow lentils cook a lot faster than brown. If you are using a pressure cooker, you would only have to wait for one whistle rather than 5. They cook fast! I believe black lentils take about the same time as the brown. I will be posting a yellow lentil dal recipe soon! Some of the ingredients I use for yellow dal are different as well–> I don’t use tomato paste, I add fenugreek and garam masala:) If you try it, please let me know how it turns out!
This looks amazing!!! Can’t wait to make it tonight! 🥒🍋🍚🍵🍸!! You are a genius.
Basia! Thank you! Let me know how it turns out!:)
Thanks Sharon totally trying this on the weekend! I have super low iron so I sneak chopped spinach into pretty much anything I can. Would it work with this recipe?
Hi Dawn! Chopped Spinach would be great with this recipe. You can even pour the dal over a bed of spinach and eat it like a salad. Let me know how it turns out!
Here’s a tip for use with an Instant Pot or Power Pressure cooker: I made it with 4 cups of water, added 1/2 cup fresh, chopped spinach and cooked for 30 mins on the lentils/beans setting. It was awesome!
Awesome! Thanks Dawn! I definitely have to buy an Instant Pot. The spinach sounds great!