Dal or dahl is a dish of Indian cuisine based on legumes such as lentils or beans. It is prepared in the form of curry, with spices and additional vegetables. Apart from lentils, tomatoes and onions are also forming a basis of red lentil dal. Whenever I can, I try to go for fresh tomatoes, because they change the taste of this dish significantly. Of course, there are also spices typical of Indian cuisine, such as cardamom, ginger, coriander and turmeric. This dish is perfect for those who avoid meat. It is so delicious that when you eat it, you won’t even think that it is missing anything.
And if you like Indian cuisine, I recommend that you also check out the following recipes for Indian food.
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Ingredients for red lentil dahl.
- 200 g red lentil
- 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil
- 250 g onion
- 2 big cloves of garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon of caraway seeds
- 1 teaspoon of chopped chili pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon of coriander seeds
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
- 600 g tomatoes
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 600 ml water
- 1 teaspoon of Garam masala
- 3/4 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger
- 3 cardamom seeds
How to make red lentil dahl.
Put the red lentils into a bowl, add water and set it aside for 5 minutes. Subsequently, rinse and change the water two more times. Put cinnamon, coriander, cumin and cardamom into a pot. Fry for 30 seconds, then add mashed garlic, diced onion, chili, turmeric, ginger, Garam masala and oil. Fry on a medium heat with a tendency to low for 5 minutes, then add the diced tomatoes, salt and water. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered for 20 minutes. After that time, add the lentils and continue cooking for 40 minutes, stirring it from time to time. Serve the finished dal with rice and naan bread.
Good to know when making red lentil dahl.
Fresh tomatoes can be replaced with tinned tomatoes. I recommend selecting canned whole tomatoes or sliced ones, I advise against using tomato paste.
Do you like dishes made from red lentil? If so, try our recipe for Red lentil Bolognese.
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