I’m SO excited to share an incredible, flavorful, super nourishing new recipe with you from my friend Samah of Dada Eats‘ new cookbook, Dada Eats: Love to Cook It. Before we dive in, let me just say this cookbook is absolutely amazing. It’s filled with 100 all vegetarian recipes that focus on real ingredients, whole foods and anti-inflammatories. Her twists on classic comfort food and staple Indian recipes are ones you’ll want to share with everyone.
I chose her best ever dal recipe because, like Samah, I’m a huge fan of cooking with legumes (and this curried pumpkin lentil soup is one of my favs). It’s my first time cooking traditional dal and I’m truly in love. Samah put it best in her cookbook, “It’s energizing and light, while remaining both grounding and comforting.” The flavors warm you from the inside out and it’s such a satisfying meal.
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What is dal?
Dal is not only an ingredient, but it’s also a traditional, plant-based Indian dish. As an ingredient, dal refers to a split version of legumes like lentils, chickpeas, etc. As a recipe, dal is made by simmering together yellow or red split lentils with warming spices and often coconut milk, tomatoes and broth to create a lovely, super-nutritious meal with a stew-like consistency.
Samah’s best ever dal recipe is hearty, packed with 15g of protein and over 10g of fiber, and is absolutely delicious.
Everything you’ll need to make this dal recipe
One of the best parts about making dal from scratch is that it uses tons of pantry staples! It’s easy to make for the perfect weeknight dinner. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Lentils: the base of this dal recipe is made with yellow moong dal or red split lentils — whichever you can find.
- Produce: you’ll need onion, garlic and fresh ginger to give the dal lovely flavor. You’ll also be mixing in some fresh spinach later in the cooking process, plus some fresh lemon juice for a little brightness.
- Spices: these super cozy spices are the star of the show. You’ll need ground turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, and plenty of salt and pepper.
- For the broth: you’ll be simmering the lentils in a little tomato paste, diced or crushed tomatoes, coconut milk, and vegetable broth.
- To garnish: top your bowl with fresh cilantro leaves!
What to serve with dal
Creamy and delicious dal is even better served with:
- Naan or flatbread
- Quinoa
- Fluffy rice (my coconut rice would be perfect!)
How to make homemade dal
- Prep your lentils. Start by rinsing your lentils a few times until the water runs clear. Then cover them with fresh water and soak them for about 30 minutes to an hour.
- Sauté the onions. Next you’ll want to sauté the onions in olive oil for a few minutes until they’re tender. Add in the ginger and garlic and cook until slightly browned.
- Add spices. Stir in all of those cozy spices and cook everything for a few minutes until it darkens and smells aromatic.
- Add tomatoes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook it for a couple of minutes, then pour in the crushed tomatoes and cook for a few minutes to reduce.
- Pour in the broth. Next, add the coconut milk and vegetable broth and simmer everything for about 5 minutes.
- Cook the lentils. Add your drained lentils to the pot and simmer for about 30 minutes until they’re soft and the curry is nice and thick. Stir in spinach until it wilts.
- Thicken & serve. Add the fresh lemon juice and stir for about 10 minutes until the dal thickens to your liking. Then serve!
Why rinse & soak the lentils?
Rinsing the lentils until the water runs clear ensures that there isn’t any debris like dust, dirt, husks, etc. in your dal recipe. Lentils are natural, whole food, which means they can carry some of that debris! You’ll want to soak the lentils as well so that they cook a little faster.
Storing & freezing tips
- To store: store this creamy dal in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Feel free to reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop!
- To freeze: let the dal completely cool and then transfer it to a freezer-safe container (or multiple containers for meal prep purposes). Freeze for up to 2 months. To reheat, first let it thaw in the refrigerator, then heat it in the microwave or on the stovetop.
More nourishing soups, stews & curries
- Vegan Coconut Tomato Lentil Soup
- Healing Curry Butternut Squash Lentil Soup (with a slow cooker option!)
- Healing Lemongrass Chickpea Thai Green Curry with Toasted Coconut Brown Rice
- Butternut Squash, Chickpea & Lentil Moroccan Stew
- Healing Ginger Coconut Chicken Brown Rice Soup
Get all of my soups, stews & curries here!
I hope you love Samah’s incredible dal recipe! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you like it. And remember to pick up a copy of Dada Eats Love to Cook It cookbook!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
The Best Dal Ever by Dada Eats
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow moong dal or red split lentils
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 (2-inch) knob fresh ginger, grated
- 5 garlic cloves, sliced
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced or crushed tomatoes with their juices
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can reduced fat coconut milk (or feel free to use full-fat if you prefer a richer dal)
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- To garnish:
- Fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped, for garnish
- For serving:
- Naan, flatbread, quinoa, or rice for serving
Instructions
- Place the lentils in a medium bowl and cover them with water. Wash the lentils with your hand, tip out the water, and repeat this process until the water runs clear. Cover the lentils with fresh water and soak 30 minutes to 1 hour (this will allow them to cook faster).
- Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. When it begins to shimmer, add the onions, and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until they start to become tender and translucent. Add the ginger and garlic, and cook with the onions for an additional 2 to 3 minutes until everything starts to brown slightly.
- Stir in the turmeric, cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt and black pepper. Sauté the masala for 2 to 3 minutes until it smells aromatic and darkens in color.
- Add the tomato paste and cook until it deepens in color, 1 to 2 minutes. Now pour in the tomatoes. Continue to cook until the tomatoes reduce slightly, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk and vegetable broth to the pot. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Now add the drained lentils. Cover the pot and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are soft and the curry is thick. Add the spinach and stir until it wilts.
- Add the lemon juice and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, so the dal continues to thicken and become luscious. Feel free to simmer further to reach your desired consistency. Taste again and adjust seasonings as necessary.
- Garnish the dal with chopped cilantro and serve with naan, flatbread, quinoa, or rice.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Dada Eats | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
Yum!! Just Yummy
So glad you enjoyed!
We LOVE this recipe! We have added it to our rotation and make it at least every other week! I’m not even a fan of lentils but this recipe makes them delicious!
So happy to hear that!
I made this tonight and it was a knockout. I doubled the recipe because I had a ton greens (kale, mustard greens, chard) that needed to get used before turning. Also add a couple red potatos for the same reason. We ate a third of it tonight and are freezing the rest in two packets so we’ll have two awesome dinners later. Note on the greens I used: they’re heartier than spinach, so I put them in at the same time as the coconut milk and broth. After the 30 minute simmer, I turned the heat off and let it sit for another 10 to cool down. Amazing recipe. 10 stars.
Amazing! This one’s great for customizing 🙂 Glad it was a hit!
I loooooove this recipe! I hate lentils but I’m trying to expand my palate and this was very good! I realized too late that we didn’t have turmeric do I subbed half the amount in mustard. Then used frozen spinach because mine was a bit old. Very good! Going on the short list.
So happy to hear that! Perfect cozy dinner 🙂
This is a staple in our house, especially in winter. I usually make it exactly as written but I’ve left out the spinach when I didn’t have it on hand and it’s still beautiful. I’ve also made it successfully with chana dal though of course it takes longer to cook. Amazing recipe!
Perfect! Such a great, cozy meal 🙂
on ipad, can’t view recipe- too many popups thus recipe is useless
Have made this recipe a lot of times, also with different veggies when I don’t have spinach, always delicious
This was so darned delicious you had an Old Cowboy going back for (generous) seconds. We’re on the meatless Mondays scheme and this recipe hit every YES button. Made as per recipe but added in a palmful of both oven roasted tomatoes and fennel. What a great recipe to try out on this cold snowing day on a remote farm on the edge of the Canadian Rockies. Thank you.
Love that! Perfect meal for a cold night 🙂
This was really good! I threw in some shrimp after the spices had roasted, then removed them until the rest had cooked. Served them on top. WOW! Great recipe. Thanks so much!
That sounds amazing! So glad you enjoyed!
This recipe is insanely delicious, I make it almost every week! I use regular lentils, and also add potatoes, carrots and peas. Turns out great every time! Thank you so much for this awesome recipe, and I really appreciate how the instructions are super clear and easy to follow.
Thank you so much for trying this one! I’m glad to hear it’s a staple recipe for you now 🙂
Nice, easy, fragrant, tasty….
Glad you enjoyed!
I hate lentils. Always have. That being said, I LOVE this recipe!! My husband is vegetarian and I’ve been trying to find more plant based protein recipes and this one is absolutely a keeper. Based on the other reviews I decided to double the batch off the get-go. I didn’t have two cans of coconut milk so I used one can and then filled the empty can with heavy cream (no longer vegan I know but we don’t care much about that haha) I also used one can of diced tomatoes and one can of crushed tomatoes and the mixture of having both chunky tomato bits but also blended tomato was absolutely divine!!! Will 100000% be making this recipe again! Thank you!
So glad those swaps worked out well! Such a great cozy meal 🙂
Really super yummy. I changed it to a sweeter versiom by usung original organic ricemilk. Fresh chopped tomatoes. No canned. Cilantro not coriander powder. Carrots instead of spinach. Soooo good
Sounds delicious! Glad you loved it!
Today is the third time I’ve made this delicious recipe. Today I’ve added peppers, beans, fresh tomatoes, chilli & extra spinach. Although my husband isn’t a fan of vegetables, he loves this. Got family staying for a few weeks at Christmas & they have already put in an order for me to make this. It is by far the best recipe I’ve tried for daal.
Amazing! Glad it’s a hit with the whole family!
Not a good recipe. This is the worst dal I ever had. 😞
Sorry to hear that you didn’t love it!
I find myself without coconut milk and I’m wondering if almond milk or soy milk would complement the dish okay….(?)
I’m afraid almond or soy milk won’t be thick/rich enough for this dish!
The recipe was delicious and easy to follow. I doubled the recipe and it turned out perfectly. My guests enjoyed the dal with basmati rice and an eggplant dish and I had plenty of leftovers to share!
So happy to hear that!
This is a good base recipe I will use again for sure, as the spices are just right and so you can modify it as needed based on what you have or what you are craving. Partly to use up produce I had, and partly to just pack it with even more nutrition, I ended up adding an apple, a jalapeño, and I probably doubled the spinach. Turned out great. Very yummy and wholesome.
Absolutely! Glad you loved it!
This looks good. I try to avoid tomatoes (acid reflux). Do you think I can omit them? Wouldn’t I have to add more broth/liquid to compensate?
Hmm unfortunately I think the flavor will change without the can of tomatoes and tomato paste – sorry!
I made this exactly as posted and I could not get enough. I had some leftover and couldn’t wait to heat it up and eat it again.
So happy to hear that!
This is a really nice recipe. I made some adjustments to taste. I used a cup less broth than the recommendation as I prefer a thicker Dal. I used Kashmiri chilli powder instead of Cayenne. I added half teaspoon extra of ground coriander. I added a tiny pinch of cinnamon, a whole star anise, and a generous handful methi leaves to the dal too, as I prefer a richer flavour. I omitted the spinach and did not add the lemon juice simply because I didn’t have any of either (this meal was unplanned so had to make it with stuff I had already!) I also used full fat coconut milk to make it more filling (plus coconut fats are healthy fats!). Overall turned out excellent! Spice based is really good, delicious flavour. I am looking forward to trying it again, definitely I want to add lemon and spinach next time!
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
Can you slow cook this in a slow cooker?
Can you over cook Dahl?
You should be able to make this in the slow cooker, though I haven’t tested it to be sure what the exact instructions would be as this recipe comes from Dada Eats 🙂 Overcooking it will result in a mushier consistency.
This really is the best Dal. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. Thank you for such a delicious recipe. I will no longer have to try different recipes to find the right one—this is it!
So happy to hear that!!
I cooked the Dahl yesterday as a side dish and my family loved it! They eat it more than what I originally planned as the main dish. My husband still this morning told me how much he liked it. Thank you!
So happy to hear that!