Things are a little tight this month so I made a resolution to use up all (or a lot) of the food that I have in my pantry and freezer. Sure, I should always be doing this anyway but exciting recipes always seem to entice me into trying (and buying) new things.
Anyway, I have two huge bags of lentils (a.k.a. “dal”) sitting in my pantry that have been waiting for their day in the spot light. I saw this recipe for Dal Nirvana over on Steamy Kitchen and it looked so scrumptious that I had to try it. The best part is that the ingredient list is mostly items that I already have. Indian recipes are tricky because they usually include ingredients that I don’t have nor have I ever heard of! This recipe, on the other hand is different. It’s simple, it’s delicious, it’s super filling and I’d happily eat it every day.
I served the Dal with some simple, steamed jasmine rice and homemade naan (Indian flat bread). The recipe for the naan will be up in a couple of days… it turned out AMAZING!
Dal Nirvana
Dal Nirvana
Servings 6Ingredients
- 1 cup dry brown lentils ($0.31)
- 1 15oz. can crushed or diced tomatoes ($1.49)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.12)
- 1 inch fresh ginger ($0.07)
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.03)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin ($0.03)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.17)
- salt and pepper to taste ($0.05)
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk or cream ($0.75)
- 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro ($0.37)
Instructions
- Place the lentils in a pot and cover with a couple inches of water. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil until tender (about ten minutes). Drain the lentils in a colander.
- While the lentils are boiling, mince the garlic and peel and grate the ginger (use a small cheese grater). Return the drained lentils to the pot (medium heat) and add the butter, ginger, garlic, cayenne, cumin, salt and pepper.
- Add the can of tomatoes and one cup of water. Stir it all together, bring it to a simmer then reduce the heat to low. Put a lid on the pot and let it simmer for half an hour. The mixture should be soft and thick after a half hour. If it is not, continue to simmer, adding more water if it dries out. You want the end product to be thick, not watery.
- Stir in the evaporated milk or cream and garnish with fresh, chopped cilantro. Serve over rice or with naan bread for dipping!
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Nutrition
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Step By Step Photos
I have this huge bag of brown lentils so that is what I used. Black lentils were used in the Steamy Kitchen recipe so feel free to experiment.
Place the lentils in a pot and cover with two inches of water.
Bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Boil until the lentils are soft (about ten minutes).
While the lentils boil, mince the garlic, peel and grate the ginger.
Drain the lentils then return them to the pot (reduce heat to medium).
Add the butter, garlic, ginger, cayenne, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir it on up.
Add the can of crushed or diced tomatoes, one cup of water and stir it all together.
Simmer the mixture with a lid on until it is cooked down to a soft, thick mixture.
Add the evaporated milk or cream…
Stir it up, sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve it up!
NOTE: I’m sure you could make this recipe for less money than I did. I happened to be near a Whole Foods yesterday so I stopped there to pick up the few ingredients that I didn’t have (cilantro, ginger, cream and diced tomatoes). I may have paid a little more than usual but this recipe is so simple and inexpensive that it was still well worth it.
The Steamy Kitchen version says it serves four but I portioned out my lunches and got six servings out of the pot. Of course, I was serving the Dal with rice and naan which bulked up the meal as a whole.
As the classic college student in their first apartment, building up a spice collection has been my biggest struggle– they’re EXPENSIVE. This recipe is perfect for getting a tasty Indian recipe without a masala dabba! I used “Italian style (I think garlic and basil added)” crushed tomatoes because I had them on hand. I also tossed in a bit of yellow curry spice blend from a sampler, and a teeny bit of a veg bullion cube. I love spice so I kept the amount of cayenne, but I don’t recommend using the full amount unless you like it moderately spicy!
This recipe is delicious! Even my young children loved it. I was able to feed my family of 5 and have leftovers for under $5 Canadian. Win win!
This is one of my favorite recipes. I have been making it for years and it is always delicious. My kids are adventurous eaters anyway and this a family favorite. Thanks!
This is an all time recipe. I’ve made it probably a dozen times and it always plays.
Very good! ! This recipe is great, hope you don’t have creative bottlenecks~lol
Has anyone tried this with coconut milk or Whole30 mayo?
I have used 1/2 C canned coconut milk instead of regular for it and it turned out fine.
This recipe is a keeper. I like the cream addition at the end. I used 1 1/2 tsp cumin and 1 tsp curry powder and stirred in 2 handfuls of baby spinach when there was about 7 minutes left of simmering
Delicious!
I made this for dinner tonight, except that I used a can of cocunut milk instead of evaporated milk. It came out very well, spiced but not overly spicy. I also had forgotten that I was out of rice until it was done, it work with tortilla chips pretty well.
This is my family’s go to favorite lentil recipe. We’ve played with it over the years – trying almond milk, coconut milk, extra spice, even cooking it all in one pot to skip the rinsing step. All are good. I usually add a quick vegetable beside like peas or zucchini with a little cumin and salt. Sometimes raita. Such a staple!
Do you know if whole red lentils with the skin removed are sold?
I haven’t seen whole masoor dal locally (and I have 3-5 “Indian supermarkets” at my local high street alone (wikipedia says Main Street is US equivalent). Some packets do say red lentils instead of red split lentils, but they all look split/thin spheres of red. Hope that helps.
Delicious but spicy! I made a few changes. I used fresh tomatoes, coconut milk and decreased the amount of cayenne pepper. If you have a low tolerance to spicy foods, you will want to use a lot less cayenne pepper.
Looks delicious, but is it possible to substitute or omit the tomatoes? I’d like to cook this for a relative with a tomato allergy. Thanks!
You might like my Creamy Coconut Curry Lentils recipe. :)
Oh, perfect, thank you!
Really tasty stuff for people who have never had dal and aren´t always sure about lentils. I was worried that 1/2 tsp of cayenne would be too spicy, even though we like a fair amount of spice, but it was perfect for us. At the end I took someone elses advice and added a teaspoon of chicken bouillon because I felt like it could use a little something. Perfect touch!
I doubled the recipe and used a can of full fat coconut milk, I also added chicken bullion powder and a jalapeno instead of cayenne it was delicious. I topped mine with a spoonful of greek yogurt, sriracha and cilantro. Dirt cheap and enough leftovers for the whole week:)
Great recipe! I added a sprinkle of garam masala and a bit more of each seasoning but all over, really simple and cheap (why I love your site!). Served with cauliflower rice and roasted okra for a lower carb meal. I forgot the cilantro and it was still great.
At the beginning of the pandemic I was looking for shelf stable sources of nutrition so I picked up a bag of brown lentils. I finally wanted to use them so I searched my favorite recipe blog for lentils and this recipe looked like something I’d like. I made it according to the recipe except I added 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala, a box of chopped (thawed) frozen spinach, and a few shakes of dried minced onion. It was delicious! But I found it a little too spicy. Maybe next time I’ll leave out the cayenne entirely.
Thanks Beth!
Delicious! I added half a red onion and some diced zucchini that I needed to use, and coconut cream instead of the evaporated milk since it’s all I had, and it worked out great! Thanks so much for sharing!
Absolutely wonderful! Even my younger brother liked it and he is a very picky eater. The only substitution I made was adding 1 cup of beef broth instead of water when adding the tomatoes and water to the lentils. It added an extra bit of flavor but I am sure it would work fine with just water still.
I love all of your recipes that I have tried but this is our favorite!!!
I make it every week or two and usually make the Naan bread with it. You and your blog are a treasure!
I have been making this recipe for years and I am OBSSESSED! I never leave reviews and am always on the hunt for easy, inexpensive recipes that taste amazing – and this one fits the bill. My husband who hates lentils and “needs” his meat with every meal loves it and asks for it all the time. So tasty and so easy to make, I always crave this recipe. Thanks!
I’ve made this recipe as is tons of times now, so I decided to try adding to it a little. Today I decided to saute a while diced onion in the butter, then added the garlic once the onions were translucent before adding everything else. 100% would recommend, and it’s a cheap addition. The onions give the lentils a nice depth and crunchy element. I love this over your coconut rice, or just over plan jasmine rice 😊
Made this tonight. YUMMY! Followed suggestions and added some garam masala and a little bit more cumin. I also added spinach because wanted veggies and didn’t want to make a separate dish. HAHA
I think adding onions to this recipe before you add the garlic and lentils back into the pot would make it a lot more flavorful!
Oh that would be a great addition!
I could only find canned lentils, and liked the idea of adding 1/2 tsp of garam masala (suggested in the comments) so I went with it – it turned out AMAZING!!!. Probably could have cut the cooking time down if I had thought to reduce the amount of liquid I started with, since the canned lentils are already cooked …but I enjoyed it more with each bite! It has nice complex flavour – heat, but you can still really taste the ginger sweetness too :) Definitely my new go-to, and so cheap that I can afford to splurge on store-bought Naan (though next up will probably be my attempt at the Naan recipe here)
This is my go-too lentil recipe! So simple yet so delicious! I use fat-free half and half instead of cream, and I think it works wonderfully well. Great recipe!
This was fantastic!! Much easier than other dal recipes I have tried. I added an extra 1/2tsp of cumin and 1/2 tsp garam masala. Will be making this a lot in the future.
Made this for lunch prep this week and it turned out well, though I had to add way more cumin than the recipe suggested (I think I was up to 1 tsp or so by the end of the recipe). I found that as the dish cooked, the fragrance and flavor of the cumin reduced greatly, so I added some additional cumin near the end to get the same pop of flavors. I think I might try adding Garam Masala next time too.
That being said, overall it tastes decent and will be totally acceptable for lunches this week.
This is one of my favorites!! I like it best with black lentils, 1/2 tsp Garam Marsala, and coconut milk instead of dairy. It freezes great so I make it in big batches.
Hardest part is finding the black lentils at the grocery store.
Just made this for my Indian-food-loving fam. We adored it; so easy, super cheap and amazingly delish! I sauteed onions before adding the lentils back in, and added some turmeric. Instead of adding water or cream, I used Vegan Protein Broth during the simmer phase (really creamy).
Hello! I am trying to use some lentils and evaporated milk before they spoil. I have orange and green lentils. Can they be used instead of the brown ones in the same way on this recipe?
Thank you for your help.
It might be tricky to use them together as orange lentils cook very fast and tend to break down into mush, while green lentils take much longer to cook and soften. You can use different types of lentils as long as you adjust the cooking time and are aware that there may be texture differences between the varieties.
Thank you! I will experiment!
When I wanted to make lentil curry with whole green lentils instead of red split, I soaked the green lentils overnight. When added to the curry itself (no pre-boil), both lentils (soaked green or raw red split) cooked the same amount of time (20 minutes on low heat, lid on fully). Hope that helps.
Looks fantastic. I have a kid who can’t do any dairy. Is there an evaporated milk substitute I could use that wouldn’t ruin this recipe?
Full fat coconut milk is REALLY good with curry! I’d use that. :)
I have been wanting to make this for months, and today was the day! Also, finally dusted off the old rice cooker and now have lunch for the rest of the weekend. I added some peas and frozen spinach which added in flavor and color. Thank you for the idea and always love to browse your site . Personal note, I did end up adding a bit of extra spices at the end along with a hint of Garam Masala.
Made a double batch of this tonight; some to freeze for after new baby comes. It was very good!
I made this to get rid of a couple cans of lentils that were sitting in my pantry, and since my husband isn’t usually a fan of Indian dishes, him getting sent away for work made it the perfect time to try this. I added one can, used a stick blender to pulse it a few times to get rid of the bigger chunks of tomato, then added the second can’s worth.
It’s SO GOOD! I made your cumin rice to go with it, but I used brown jasmine rice in my rice cooker, and it was all I could do not to eat ALL of it.
Because I used way more lentils, I got 6 GENEROUS servings out of this recipe.
So far, I haven’t found a recipe on your site that I haven’t loved. I’ve had to tweak a little here and there, but everything has been a win, and also gotten a thumbs up from my kinda picky husband.
I’ve been a long-time fan of this recipe (and your blog!) and have been making this recipe since early 2011. Made it again last night (in 2017) and it’s still a winner! Usually I like to modify recipes to put my own spin on them, but this one is perfect as is (imo). The only change I’ve ever made is doubling it because it’s so delicious =)
Great recipe that has become a staple for me. 5 stars for the original recipe but it’s also a great base for modifications. I add a chopped onion, some curry spice mix, and instead of evaporated milk I add a dollop of sour cream when serving.
Any thoughts on how you might adapt this for the instant pot? I feel like it shouldn’t be that hard right?
Hmm, it should be pretty easy, but I’d have to play around with the liquid amounts to get it just right for the lentils so you don’t have to cook them separately and drain first.
I will make this always. SO GOOD!
This was delicious, but 1 cup was not enough for my family of 5 (2 small children in that).
I made this for my non-profit group as part of a middle-eastern themed luncheon. Rave reviews from even the picky eaters.
Not my cup of tea. I expected this to be more creamy, what I’m used to when I hear “dal.” The brown lentils were still rough by the end of the cooking. I might try this again with red lentils, but I think I’m better off seeking out other recipes.
Oh man this is so, so good. I like mine topped with sour cream and a squeeze of siracha.YUM! Also I have a confession, I never peel my ginger in any recipe. Mainly because peeling ginger is a time consuming, tedious task, I just grate it on the small hole side and I can’t tell the difference in the slightest. Just a tip for anyone looking to save time.
Ginger is pretty easy to peel if you use a spoon instead of a peeler. Just scrape the skin off with a regular spoon. It’s good at getting into all those little nooks that ginger has.
This recipe has become a family staple! I have tweaked it slightly by cooking everything together, instead of boiling the lentils separately. Otherwise it’s perfect as is! I’ve swapped coconut milk a few times because I had half a can to use up and it was wonderful. I’ve also swapped broth for some of the water – again, stuff to use up – with very good results. Thanks for a slam dunk recipe! Some of your naan on the side is perfection.
This sounds great, and I have a BUNCH of lentils to use, so I need new recipes. Quick question, though; do you drain the tomatoes or use the liquid in the can? Thanks!
No draining required. Use everything in the can. :)
This looks soo delish, but I was wondering if it would be possible to substitute the milk or cream for a non dairy item?? Would love to try a vegan version of this. Thanks.
Yes, you can use coconut milk (the thick kind in a can, not the dairy milk substitute, which is thinner). :)
Why do you use evaporated milk here? Can I use regular milk or even canned coconut milk?
Regular milk will be too thin, but you can use canned coconut milk or even half and half. :)
This dish has become a favorite in my house, its fast and easy, dirt cheap and super flavorful. Instead of evaporated milk I like to add sour cream and top with Siracha and cilantro, its so good, I have a pot on the stove right now :)
This is a simple delicious and healthy recipe. I made today to go with some leftover rice I had from my indian takeout last night. I used red lentils and coconut milk as I didn’t have any heavy cream and it turned out great. Thanks so much!
This recipe was outrageously delicious! It took a bit longer to cook down the water than I thought, but totally worth the wait.
This was SO good! I will be making this recipe over and over again. Thank you!
I made this tonight its lovely! I added some cumun seeds, garam masala as well as sautéed onions. Its got such a full flavour with much more bite than i expected! Love it
Hi, I’m making this right now! Very excited and encouraged to read other’s reviews of this recipe. I did not have all the ingredients, so improvising a little.
Didn’t have canned tomatoes and not enough fresh, so I used my dried tomatoes and some sauce left over.
I’m simmering right now, and my rice I changed up to brown rice, with some curry. (Didn’t have enough of the jasmine in my pantry) The rice is almost done and so are the lentils.
I do juicing, so I had some fresh “pulp” in the fridge from this morning, so I added some to the lentil mixture, to add some veggie flavors and some extra thickness.
I pre-tasted and I am excited!
When I have all of the right ingredients for this recipe, I would like to try it as it should be…but I really wanted to try it. My husband is mostly vegetarian, so we do have lentils around, etc. He just got home and said it really smells good, and he will wait for it! :)
Thank you ~
I started making this and then realized that I was missing a couple rather key ingredients, however it still tasted great! I used tomato sauce in place of the diced tomatoes and i didn’t use and cream or replacement. It still disappeared from the freezer very quickly!
We love this and make it often. You can easily make it in the slow cooker. Just throw everything in (lentils uncooked) with water indicated on lentil package and set on high for about 3-4 hours. So easy and yummy. The lentils get all creamy this way!
I love this recipe! Mine comes out a lot more orange than the picture. It still tastes great, but do you have any idea why that might be?
It could just be the type of tomatoes you used or the coloring of your lentils. It’s hard to say. :)
Can you use tomato puree instead of diced or crushed tomatoes? what about using ground ginger & ground garlic stead of fresh?
Yes, puréed tomatoes would also work. Ground ginger does taste quite different than fresh ginger, but I’m sure it would still be tasty.
Hi I love
Your blog!! I have been cooking up a storm thanks to you. I made this recipe only change was I added in some diced red onion, carrot and red bell pepper! So delicious thank you thank you thank you
Can you sub ground ginger for the fresh?
Yes, but the flavor is slightly different than fresh ginger. You can try about a half teaspoon.
Thanks for the super quick reply! I’ve made this before with fresh ginger I just dont want to run to the store and that’s my only missing ingredient. I’ll try ground instead
I made this last night and really loved it. I did add a small amount of curry and garam masala. The only change I want to try is to use coconut milk instead of cream.
Yum! I made this tonight and modified the recipe just slightly, adding a little extra cayenne and about 1/4 tsp of curry powder. The result was delicious–wonderfully earthy, yet warm and pleasantly spiced.
I didn’t have any naan, but had two packages of bakery-outlet pita in the freezer, so I broiled a pita instead. For veggies, I sauteed up some spinach, which fit alongside the rice, pita, and lentils just marvelously!
If I wanted to make this in a slow cooker, what times would you recommend? I was thinking maybe 4 hours on high or 7-8 on low?
I think those times/heat levels sound about right, although I don’t know how the evaporated milk will do in the slow cooker. Maybe try adding it at the very end. Also, you’ll still have to cook the lentils separate so that the cooking water can be drained off.
This was so yummy but it lacked something so I added about 2 tsp or so garam masala and a bit more cumin and it did the trick! I also added some potato starch to thicken it up some more. I made this tonight with the Indian style creamed spinach, tandoori bites and naan bread…the whole dinner was spectacular! Thanks beth for such amazing recipes!
OMG. We made this for dinner tonight, along with your naan recipe – seriously amazing. We added a healthy portion of curry powder and garam masala as another reviewer suggested, too. We just moved to an area with no indian restaurant probably within a 1.5 hour radius, and this really hit the spot. We’re first time naan makers too, and they turned out perfect, even though we made the dough this afternoon and let it sit in the fridge until dinner.
I’ve made this twice- the first time I failed miserably attempting to make this with red lentils (big mistake!). Last night I used french green lentils (because that’s what I had on hand, and I was feeling experimental), and it turned out pretty okay… not as excellent as the picture, but good enough. I like this dal, but it is a bit spicy. I definitely need to track down some brown lentils, and maybe reduce the cayenne just a bit.
Red or brown lentils should work fine. Green lentils don’t break down much so they are better in soups. Whenever I have made dahl with green lentils it’s very dry.
This was really good! I forgot to add the dairy at the end because I’m a genius, even though I had both ev. milk and cream on hand. It was still very good without it, a great tomato flavor. I ended up adding the ev. milk for today’s lunch leftovers. Both good. I made naan and didn’t want to do double carbs, so instead of rice I made a dish from The Picky Eater blog called “Indian Style Asparagus”. It was a great complement to the dish. I recommend trying it, maybe once you aren’t on your snap budget ;-)
While I’m late to the game, I found this recipe on Pinterest and can’t say enough good things about it! My husband said he wants me to make this once a week. My girls, 5 and 2, love it and usually eat two bowls. Thanks for a delicious low-budget meal!
I’ve made this probably a dozen times, I think it’s the only recipe that I have memorized other than chocolate milk. It’s such a solid recipe that’s great for having leftovers. Since it’s lentils the leftovers are even better than the night of! I like to add about a cup of matchstick carrots and a few hearty teaspoons of garam masala and curry.
This was good! I added a few extra spices (some turmeric, a bay leaf, and two teaspoons of rice wine vinegar and sugar each). The extra spices just added a bit more complexity. Also, because I’m always trying to cut down on fat, I used evaporated fat-free milk instead of cream. It worked really well!
Psst, you never specify in the directions when to add in the cumin. I don’t actually see it in your photos, either! I’m assuming it wasn’t a mistake in the ingredients list so I just put it in with the other spices.
I made this tonight and it was very good! I threw in 1/4 tsp turmeric for good measure and served it with the jasmine rice and naan. My roommate isn’t a fan of Indian food, but she still enjoyed it, which is always a good sign. :)
Thanks for noticing that!! :) I’ll go fix it now… I can’t believe it’s been like that for years and no one else noticed or mentioned it. ;)
I was wondering if anyone had experience with the Trader Joes Coconut Milk “beverage”.. which I bought last night when preparing to make this dish only to realize when I got home, that it said beverage and not milk. I do not want it to ruin the recipe if it is not thick enough/too sweet. Would it be better at this point to go for not using any “creamy” component at all or shall I try the mystery “milk beverage”. HELP PLEASE, I have to serve dinner in 4 hrs :)
Sorry I didn’t get to your comment on time, Becca! I’m honestly not sure what I would have done in that situation. The coconut beverage is much more watery than regular coconut milk, so I think maybe I would have just skipped it and had the dish be a regular curry lentil instead. :P
ya.. i skipped it, and yet the lentils still came out watery..it was my first try though and i love lentils so ill keep trying. i made last month Asian cuisine month and cooked several of your recipes and me and my man LOVED them…. my first “go” at Indian food March was not so good. I made the tandoori bites and think I cut the chunks too thin and the meat was overcooked. Also, before I flipped them over, I noticed there was sauce that was prob from left over yogurt… is that normal to see that liquid? Then I tried to use brown jasmine rice to be healthier for the “yellow rice” and the rice was a bit too aldente…haha… do you have a recommendation for any lentil dishes that do NOT use tomato? I am sensitive to acidity and I would love any suggestions on that end.
Hmm, I don’t remember any sauce/liquid under the tandoori bites, but chicken does usually release some moisture as it cooks (as protein fibers contract, they squeeze out water), so it could be that. And yeah, you definitely want to use white jasmine rice for the yellow rice. :) Maybe you could try this lentil recipe? It’s a lot like the yellow rice, but with lentils instead… but it needs the coconut milk again. :)
This was a surprisingly filling dish. I used red lentils, as that is what was on hand, and served with a little rice, garlic naan and some stirfried veggies. It was a huge hit, and the spices were spot on.
Dahl is actually a favourite comfort food in this family – we have it for a mother’s treat with home made chappattis, mint and cucumber raita, and mango chutney – the later is considered essential by one member of this family.
This is one of my favorite recipes, ever. I make it, like, twice a month. So good, so cheap, so easy – thank you!
This recipe is amazing! So delicious, simple to prepare and can be made in under an hour. Today I ran out of rice/naan so I ate it with cottage cheese and even though I don’t like cottage cheese, I do when it’s with this dish!
Beth,
I’m super excited to make this and just want to make sure that I get it right and make enough! How much salt did you end up using in your recipe? How big would you consider a serving to be? Thanks!
It was probably about a cup of lentils per serving. I didn’t measure the salt, I just sprinkled some on, stirred it, tasted, then added more if needed. So just start with a dash and taste to see if you want more. :)
This was super easy and delicious. I used red lentils since they were on hand and just used 1% milk in my fridge. Still very flavorful, creamy and smooth. The red lentils make the dish quite a bit brighter visually. Had it with garlic naan and a stir fry of veggies, cinnamon, cloves and pepper. Great dish, healthy and inexpensive.
The cooking water doesn’t need to be discarded at all! We never throw the water away when we make daal (I’m Pakistani, but obviously our food is Indian in origin). And if you keep the water, then you can easily make this a slow cooker recipe (crock pot daal is amazing btw!).
We rinse it very well, then soak it for 20-30 min prior to cooking- so that it cooks faster. Add it to a pot with water, add salt, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/4 tsp red chili powder, and 1/2 a chopped tomato. Bring it to a boil, then simmer until it’s tender. Separately fry a small, thinly sliced onion and 1 thinly sliced clove of garlic until golden brown, then add in 1/4 tsp of cumin seeds 30 seconds before the onion-garlic mixture is done…pour this over the daal and mix it well. Add some butter and some cream to the daal, garnish w/ chopped cilantro and you’re done! This is basically daal makhani, since you added butter and cream to it. Regular daal is made w/o those last 2 ingredients added.
I have to wonder if the lentil cooking water really does need discarded. Going to research this – am sure other lentil soups don’t require that? Actually, i’m going to make a non-drained, double batch in the crockpot!
Hi! I really love this recipe but the times I’ve made it, it takes much longer than 30 minutes for the lentils/tomatoes/water to cook down! What’s up with that? I leave it around 3 on my burner and its bubbling so it’s plenty hot… Any tips? It’s just a little annoying to have it simmer for an hour+!
Thanks :)
It sounds like you may be using French or green lentils. That variety takes 45+ minutes to cook. The trouble is that the packages aren’t always labeled with the same names, so it can be tough to know which kind you have. Look for “brown” lentils and if it doesn’t have a specific variety listed, check the cooking instructions on the package to see if it says to simmer for 20-25 minutes or closer to 45 minutes. I hope that helps! :)
Wow, made it this past week and it was incredible! We used red lentils. The recipes states 6 servings but how many cups is each serving approximately? We were too ravenous and between the two of us gobbled down everything.
I don’t remember off hand (I think that bit of data didn’t get transmitted to the new format when I moved pages), but it was probably around 3/4c to 1 cup per serving. If you don’t serve it with rice and other sides, then you’ll definitely eat more :)
Just made this tonight. Amazing! Only thing I changed was adding 1/4 tsp garam masala powder. Served it with naan and steamed cauliflower. Thanks!
Hi Beth, This recipe looks great and I can’t wait to try it tonight. I noticed in the picture of the ginger and garlic that there was a peeler. Did you use this for the ginger? Have you ever tried to peel ginger with a tea spoon edge? It is a super easy an effective way to remove the skin and very little of the ‘good stuff’. Just thought I’d share. Thanks for sharing all of your great recipes! I had the golden rice bowls last night and they are such a quick and easy dinner. I use my rice maker and it is even easier!
Thanks again!!
Erin
Yep, someone clued me in to the spoon trick a while back! Super convenient, especially if you don’t have a peeler. I tend to think the peeler is faster and easier, so I still do that :) I often mention the spoon trick in posts, though, for those who want to try it.
I wanted to make this but I’m counting my calories this month… so I did the research. One serving (w/ heavy cream) is about 175 calories, 18g carbs, 11g fat, 8g protein. Not nearly as bad-for-you as I thought! :) I’m going to give it a try. Love dal. Thank you!
Katie – I’m not sure if this one could be modified to work in the slow cooker (at least not without me doing a lot of experimentation) because of the fact that the lentils have to be cooked in water first and then the water is discarded.
How could I modify this so I could use my crockpot? I am sure it is probably an obvious fix but I am crock pot newbie.. please help! I really want to try this recipe out :)
This is DELICIOUS!!!!!!!! Thanks so much!!! added the sauted onions as someone suggested… REALLY REALLY GOOD!! Thanks!!!!
Just wanted to let everyone know: I made this for dinner last night and forgot to add the cream, and it was still amazing! I didn’t even realize I forgot the cream until I was lying down for bed! This is one of my favorite dinners to make because it tastes fancy but is so simple and cheap. I also made your naan recipe to go with it. It was my first attempt at naan and it could not have turned out better! I was surprised at how much I could taste the yogurt! I guess what I’m trying to say is MAKE THIS and MAKE THE NAAN!!!!!
Nah, I mean, you can’t beat cream… but the evaporated milk is definitely less guilt inducing. I was surprised at how good it was in the indian style creamed spinach, so I tried it here too. Loved it!
Hehe okay! You find that evaporated milk tastes better?
Gina – Hahah, no, that’s my mistake. I originally used cream, but have since been using evaporated milk. Looks like I did a sloppy update job :P
Revisiting this recipe and noticed the ingredients list calls for evaporated milk, but everywhere else in the recipe it says cream. I’m pretty sure the last time I made this, it called for heavy cream, not evaporated milk. Am I crazy?
I have tried it many times and my family loves it! This time I left the lentils half-cooked when boiling, and I fried the spices, ginger and garlic in the butter for a minute or 2 before adding lentils, then i poured in a cup of chicken broth along with tomatoes. It came out so yummy! thank you for this recipe!
This is so amazing! It’s so easy and tastes so good. We’ve made it four times in the last couple of weeks. Fyi I’ve used ground ginger (that’s all I had on hand) and it still tasted wonderful. Thanks you for this wonderful recipe.
this is my first time cooking with ginger and man were the flavors goooood! i didn’t use any cream but will next time. Thanks again for this awesome recipes.
Hahaha! I poured the whole carton of cream (a cup) into the Dal I guess I got distracted, tasted good but had a funny looking color (pinkisk) Lol
I also made this one a few weeks back, along with your naan. Delish!
I’m enjoying the dal right now. Thank you for an incredible collection of delicious, but budget conscious recipes. Your website is the first place I go when menu planning for the week. I also appreciate the variety.
Melly – I used 3/4 c of green lentils, and 1/4 c of red lentils. The red mostly disintegrate and become part of the sauce.
I also used coconut milk instead of cream, and it turned out delicious.
Thanks for a great recipe!
Really great! Even my husband (who doesn’t consider it a meal if there’s not any meat involved) thought this was a very hearty and satisfying dinner. Thank you :)
I was soooo eager to try this! As per usual, I went grocery shopping without a list and forgot to buy canned tomatoes. Not to be detered, here’s what I did: I subbed the tomatoes for tomato paste diluted in broth (1 cup). I also added a big minced onion (wanted some texture), and changed the spice as I didn’t have fresh ginger nor chili and my garlic was looking very stale: 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp tumeric, 1 tsp garam masala, 1/2 teaspoon of mustard powder, 1/2 ground coriander/cilantro, 1/2 ground clove.
The result is delightful, but in retrospect, I wish I had used less tomato paste, cuz my dahl came up kinda sweet.
ALL THAT TO SAY: I really like this website, it inspires me to cook more, for less so i can spend more money on other stuff like books :)
Delish!! Thanks for the recipe. I cut the cayenne in half and used roasted tomatoes.
YUM! I added the cumin as suggested (how can i pass up suggestions on an indian dish by an indian cook?) and, as i didn’t have cream or yogurt and couldn’t live another day without trying this recipe, stirred in sour cream at the end. It was great! The lentils took a bit longer than i expected but perhaps are old-ish.
I cooked this up last night along with your yellow jasmine rice & made up work lunches – it is absolutely delicious! Was also really easy to make, first time preparing dried lentils for me so was very satisfied!
I made this last night and it was so delicious.
For those wanting to substitute for the cream, you can use coconut milk.
This was so good! The only thing I did differently was use greek yogurt instead of cream, and use less ginger because I’m not a fa of ginger. I also used 2 cups lentils because “1 seems so small, I’m not sure if it would feed all of us!” Um, 1 cup would of been plenty LOL. I have so many lentils leftover for lunch now, good thing I loved it! Even my 2 year old liked it.
Made this a while ago, minus the cream (I didn’t have any) and ate it with Beth’s yellow rice. Fantastic! It also freezes really well, which is great, since this recipe made quite a bit of food for someone who lives alone. Thanks for the recipe.
made this the other night and it was amazing!! I doubled the recipe (’cause if I’m gonna go to all the work, why not?) and was planning on freezing half, but only one small container ever made it to the freezer :) love how versatile it is too. I added half an onion and two grated carrots to it and used greek yogurt instead of cream. I’m still dreaming of it. might have to make more this weekend!
I get sooo excited whenever I visit ur blog =) ahaha
I bookmark pretty much all ur recipes to make in future =) I’ve made a lot of them nd LOVED THEM :D
thanks :)
Delish recipe…I’ve made it a few times now and find that it freezes really well, too.
If you are trying to make it vegan or eliminate the cream I would suggest trying cashew cream. It is a recipe from the cookbook Conscious Cook. You rinse and soak 2 cups of raw cashews overnight, drain the water, put them in a blender and add enough water to cover them, blend, and it stores in an airtight container for 2-3 weeks in the fridge.
I used 2% greek yogurt and stirred it in after I removed the dal from the heat. It was wonderful and the recipe has moved into my regular rotation.
I think I’ll try to veganise this using my Earth Balance butter and Silk Soy Creamer….looks good!
Hi! I just wanted to say that I have now made several of your recipes, and they are all good. I’ve made this three times for my family, and we — including my two-year- old — love it. I think it’s something about the butter… :)
I actually tried it with nonfat Greek yogurt. I can’t tell if the yogurt kinda curdled or cooked! lol But either way it tasted great!
I’ll make this in the next couple days with the yogurt and let y’all know how it is.
Hi there!
A friend of mine in PA, just sent me the link for your site this morning(we are in Ontario, Canada), and I have to say I am delighted to have already made the Dal Nirvana. Plus purchasing the ingredients for the raspberry oat bars(for co-workers) and the English muffins(but I will have to use a gluten free flour blend, but I can just tell they will still be fantastic)
So first off, your site is fantastic and I am already planning next weeks grocery shop around its recipes. Second, the above recipe was amazing, it needs no adjustments, it is subtle, flavourful and comforting to smell and eat. It felt like an indulgence ;-)
I have to eat gluten free for health reasons, which was another reason this was such an appealing recipe.
Please dear, keep up the good work, keep creating, and my only wish is that I had found this site sooner.
Hmm, using yogurt would be interesting! I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure but it sounds like it would add a nice tang (and I love tang)! I would use greek, full fat. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!
This was delicious! I made it last week and it turned out great. One question though – I had to buy cream just for this recipe and ended up with a whole lot left over. Would I be able to substitute yogurt instead? And if so, what kind should I use (Greek or regular) and how much? Thank you!
Well, I store my garlic just sitting on the counter top at room temperature. Leave any extra papery peel on the bulb. I find that it stays fresh for about two weeks, during which time I’ll use at least 2/3 of it. Since one bulb only costs me about 25 cents, if I end up having to throw some away, I really don’t lose much.
You can store ginger in the freezer although I usually don’t end up resorting to that. At the store you can break off a piece as big or small as you’d like so I usually just get a knob about 1 inch long. That usually only costs me about 15 to 30 cents so again, if I don’t use the whole piece I only lose a few cents.
Hope that helped!
I never knew you could break off a piece of ginger! I never buy ginger because I can never fathom using much before it goes bad. Mind blown. Thank you!!
Beth, I have a question. How do you store left over ginger and garlic?
I’ve never bought ginger before, so this will be my first time and I have no idea how to store it once I’ve used some of it.
And with garlic, I never know the best way to store a bulb once I’ve opened it up and taken out some of it’s cloves.
Would love your input.
I make a recipe similar to this at least once per month, it’s an excellent meal for very little outlay =)
But one thing I must stress: ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS check your lentils for any small stones first! It’s not uncommon for small stones and/or grit to find their way into dried lentils, so unless you have a crush on your dentist it’s wise to take a few seconds to inspect your lentils before you begin.
Sam (Glasgow)
I made this for my vegetarian fiancé today, and she LOVED it! I took saikat’s advice and used less garlic, but added cumin, coriander and curry for a more ‘authentic’ flavor. Luckily for me, it turned out well. I might try soaking the lentils next time, but overall a great recipe-keep up the great work!
Made this today and it came out great. Much better than a recipe I was using from a vegetarian cookbook. Thanks so much for posting this and keep up the awesome work on this blog!
I am making this today lady. I can’t wait!
That’s not a silly question! I was planning on including a tid bit about that but forgot… I used half and half because I had some for my coffee anyway. You can use any kind of cream, the heavier you use, the creamier the dish will be :)
This is a silly question but I’m a novice cook. The ‘cream’ used in the recipe. Is that heavy cream or whipping cream?
I made this Saturday after seeing it on Steamy Kitchen and it was pretty good and pretty easy. I did add some Curry as the recipe does not call for it and it added that much needed Indian-inspired pizzaz. My hubby agreed. It was good and nutritious. We made it with the same naan recipe you used as well. Yummo!!!! Too funny!
Any ideas for dairy-free substitutes for the cream? I’d try soy creamer, but I’m not sure if it’d be too sweet, or whatever.
How about Coconut milk?
I invited two friends over for dinner last night and we ate every bit of it. The whole pot is gone! Saikat, i like the idea of variations, and I also like to fry my spices before adding whatever I’m cooking. Thanks for the great tips!
Thanks for this recipe beth.
Being an Indian this is one of the food I like to cook if I have short time to cook. You could make it many ways. In India there is a tradition of frying the spices (and then onion garlic ginger etc) on oil for a minute or so and the then adding the dal. It enhances the flavor.
You could also use cumin (approx 1/2-1 teaspoon for each 100gms of dry dal) also in the beginning (and skip the garlic if you want) to get even more authentic Indian flavor.
If you like your recipes, you might like other variations too.
I’m so glad I found your blog, I’m going to be transforming back into a “starving student” again soon and I was looking for frugal cooking sites! I thought it would be really hard to transition since I’m used to having a heftier food budget, but your ideas are quite inspiring! Wonderful! I’m going to try this recipe for sure.
I am currently simmering a pot of this on my stove. No cream or cilantro yet, but so far it is delicious! Very simple recipe and easy to follow. My mother always made lentils and spaghetti for us growing up (one of my favorite childhood dinners) but this is the first time I personally have cooked lentils or Indian food! Thanks Beth!
This is too funny. I had marked and printed the exact same recipe for dal! I can’t wait to try it out.
Melly, I would try the red lentils! I’ve only used red in soup but I can’t imagine them being bad. I think they tend to be softer than other varieties which means the end result will be a bit more paste like… but I bet it will still taste divine!
Jennifer, thanks for the recipe!! I actually already made some naan with a different recipe (will be posted tomorrow) but it’s always good to have a variety of recipes to work with!
I used whole red lentils for this because they were in my cupboard. They were actually a little crunchy after 10 minutes of boiling, so I left them on for a few more. At the end, they weren’t mushy at all – like little pearls of deliciousness! This recipe is amazing!
Awesome!! I’m so glad it worked out well. :)
This looks divine. I love dal and you have pointed out one of it’s great benefit, it’s cheap! Did you make the naan yourself? Think how cheap that would be! (I have a recipe for ‘easy naan’ if you’re interested. http://www.womanvfood.com/2010/02/ridiculously-easy-naan.html
Oh, this looks wonderful! I accidentally ended up with a couple of bags of lentils, and I’ve never cooked Indian food before so I wasn’t entirely sure what to do with them. This looks fairly simple, tasty, and (obviously) cheap. I’m looking forward to seeing your naan recipe.
Keep the Indian recipes coming – I’m excited to try this out, not to mention homemade naan!
I always do salt, pepper and most spices as five cents because the quantities are too small to calculate and I’d have to weigh what I use to calculate it accurately. I don’t feel like weighing a quarter teaspoon of this and that so I just round up to five cents. I haven’t encountered anything else that I couldn’t quickly calculate the portion cost from what’s listed on the label.
to taste salt and pepper $0.05
that’s some expensive salt.
This is awesome! I have green and red lentils in my pantry. The green lentils I use in soup, I never know what to do with the red lentils. Could I use those in this recipe too?
Red lentils cook very quickly and will make you r dahl soup-like rather than stew-like. Personally, I would stick with the brown or green varieties for this recipe. If you want to use up your red lentils just type ‘Madhur Jaffrey dahl’ into your search engine. She has a great recipe for a red lentil dahl with ginger and lemon. I’m sure you would find it somewhere.