Spicy Indian Dahl
- Ready In:
- 45mins
- Ingredients:
- 13
- Serves:
-
4
ingredients
- 2 medium onions, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh gingerroot, minced (optional)
- 2 tablespoons ghee (or unsalted butter)
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons pure ground red chili powder (not the chili spice mix)
- 4 1⁄2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 5 cloves
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces split red lentils (Masoor dahl)
- 1⁄4 - 1⁄2 cup water
- cilantro leaf, freshly chopped
directions
- Place lentils in a colander and rinse under running cold tap water.
- Add lentils to a medium-sized, but deep, saucepan.
- For each cup of lentils, add 2 cups of water to the saucepan.
- Bring to the boil, turn heat down, and simmer 10 to 20 minutes.
- Do not allow lentils to become mushy- they should still be'al dente'.
- Drain when cooked.
- Melt ghee or butter over a medium flame.
- Add onions, garlic and ginger, and saute until onions are soft and light brown in colour.
- Add spices and salt, and cook a couple of minutes until lightly fried and bubbling.
- Add dahl, and stir well.
- Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water.
- Cook over low heat for 15 minutes, or until gravy thickens, stirring from time to time so that the dahl doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Add more water if necessary, or if a thinner dahl is desired.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro to serve.
- Variation: Add two chopped tomatoes with the onions.
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Reviews
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This was delicious, healthy, nutritious, easily digestible, awesome and just simply "wonderful"! I made it for our dinner tonight as I wanted to surprise mom and dad with a Zaar recipe!). I did cut down "tremendously" on the quantity of fat, though, in this. Instead of using 12 tbsps(6oz.) of ghee/butter, I used Just ONE Tbsp. of regular oil in it(Ghee and butter are both too fatening and I'm back to counting cals!). Trust me, 1 tbsp. was more than sufficient!!! Moreover, I did use fresh ginger(peeled and grated). Honestly, I felt this should NOT be an optional ingredient, but one that's required. I did use 2 medium tomatoes as well(Tomatoes again are necessary if you want authentic Indian masoor dal). I used 3 cups of masoor dal and 6+1/2+3/4 cups of water(divided). The first 6 cups I added as for step number 3. The remaining water I added when I reached step number 11. What I particularly liked was the slightly crispy taste of the onions as I did not over-fry them. They were just soft and light brown as per the recipe. This dal was RIGHTLY SPICED- Not too much, nor too less. It was just perfect! I think now that I have suggested how I cut down on the oil(fat), nobody who wants to try this recipe need worry about any extra cals:) I had this with white bread while mom and dad relished it with hot chappatis. I will try it with Anu's Tangy lemon rice next time(that's another one of my favourite recipes). Together with this recipe, the dal and lemon rice will make a marriage in food heaven - this I can GUARANTEE! This is a WONDERFUL recipe and I really hope it gets many splendid reviews and is well received by all who try it. This will be a regular on our table- and that's Charishma's promise! :) A THOUSAND thanks to you for sharing this!
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Great recipe and I did run into a glitch. I used cayenne pepper instead of chili powder and used 1 tsp as per a suggestion by another member. This was overly hot for me and it drowned out the other wonderful flavors. I had to add yogurt to turn the heat down. I take responsibility for this glitch as I should have added the cayenne a bit at a time. Will definitely make this again using a smaller amount of cayenne.
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Tweaks
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We loved the sophisticated spicyness of this dahl, but since we changed the method considerably, I don't think it would be fair to assign a star rating. We only used one onion, and since we were making it as part of a vegan dinner party, we substituted canola oil for the ghee. I also reduced the chili powder (we used cayenne) down to 1 teaspoon and it turned out plenty hot. We sauted the onions etc. along with the spices first. Then we added a cup of red lentils and 4 cups of water, brought it to a boil and simmered until done. Thanks so much for a great recipe!
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I liked this recipe. My family was a little wimpy about the spice level, but did enjoy what they ate. I used cayenne instead of red chili powder, one large onion that diced up to about 2 cups, and found the lentils ready in just under ten minutes. Also ran out of ground coriander at 1 1/2 tablespoons, but was very satisfied with the taste. Thank you, Daydream, for posting this.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Daydream
Australia
<p>I was raised in a family that loves to travel, meet people from other countries, and taste new foods. We are quite 'international' - my brother's wife is Indian, my sister's husband is Swiss and my son's wife is of Swedish and Croatian origin. My little dogs are German - miniature Dachshunds.</p>
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