red lentil dahl (sattvic masoor dal)
This red lentil dahl recipe is a one-pot miracle and a nourishing weeknight meal you are gonna love. It is full of flavor and easy to modify in various, exciting ways!
Servings: 5 Servings
Calories: 163kcal
Cost: $5
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 2 dried hot chilies or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon hing asafoetida powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 medium tomato diced
- 12 curry leaves optional
- ⅓ cup minced cilantro
- 4 cups unsalted vegetable broth or water
- 1 cup split red lentils masoor dal, rinsed and picked through.
Optional to garnish
Instructions
- Thoroughly wash and sort through the red lentils to ensure they are free from foreign contaminants. Set the clean lentils aside to drain in a mesh strainer.
- Heat the oil in a pot over high heat. This usually takes around 60 seconds, depending on how thick the metal of your pot is. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and cook them until they pop and sputter rapidly.
- Add the ginger, diced chilies, aromatic spices, and salt to the pot and reduce the heat to medium. Stir the ingredients together and cook for approximately 90 seconds until the spices become fragrant and emit their aroma.
- After the spices are fragrant, add the diced tomato, curry leaves, and cilantro. Sauté the mixture for about 3-4 minutes until the tomatoes begin to break down.
- Add the red lentils along with the water or broth into the pot.
- Once the mixture has reached a boil, cover the pot with a lid and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the dahl cook for 60-75 minutes, opening the lid to stir occasionally, until the lentils become tender and start to fall apart. If you want a smoother dahl, you can cook it longer (up to 2 hours), adding water as needed to keep it from drying out or becoming too thick.
- When the dahl is fully cooked, transfer it to an attractive serving bowl. If desired, stir in a couple of spoonfuls of unsweetened vegan yogurt or full-fat coconut milk. Lightly dust the dahl with Kashmiri red chili powder for an extra kick, and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves to elevate the flavor and add a pop of color.
Notes
Instant Pot user? You can totally make dahl in your IP! Just follow my tips in the blog post above.
Nutrition
Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 470mg | Potassium: 430mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 388IU | Vitamin C: 54mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 3mg