My Red Lentil Dal Recipe is a deeply flavourful dish that is comforting, flavourful and uncomplicated. Made with humble ingredients like red lentils, fragrant spices and fresh vegetables. This a light, yet hearty dish and better yet, it's a one-pot recipe. Great for those busy weeknights!
Recipe Overview: Red Lentil Dal Recipe
- ✅ Recipe Name: Red Lentil Dal
- 🕐 Ready In: 50 minutes (10 mins prep)
- 🧑🧑🧒 Serves: 4 people
- 💕 Perfect For: Quick dinner, Meatless Monday
- 🥣 Main Ingredients: Red Lentils, Spices, Tomatoes
- 📖 Flavor Profile: Hearty, warming, lightly spiced.
- 😊 Difficulty: Easy!
- 💡 Quick Tip: Elevate this dish with a squeeze of lemon and some yogurt.
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS RECIPE ON
My Lenti Dal is the real deal! Having travelled to parts of India before, I can vouch that this recipe tastes just like they serve over there! It's warming, comforting, not too spicy and incredibly easy to make.
In this economy, I'm definitely looking for more vegetarian recipes for easy weeknight meals. My Minestrone Soup is on high rotation through the winter, but sometimes I want something a little more filling!
Red Lentils are incredibly versatile and a pantry staple in our household. I've always got some on hand for my Spicy Lentil Soup and Vegetable Coconut Curry for easy vegetarian meals. They don't need pre-rinsing; you can just put them straight into the dish without any fuss.
Serve with some Homemade Naan Bread, a glass of wine and you've got yourself an ultra cozy, easy weeknight dinner!
Jump to:
Why We Love This Recipe
- Affordability - a bag of lentils at my local supermarket costs me around $2.30! This recipe is so cheap to make, exactly what we need in today's economy.
- High Protein - not only are they affordable, but lentils are also really high in protein. A serving of this dal packs around 16g of protein.
- So Easy - my lentil dal is so easy to make and can be whipped up in no time at all, making it the perfect weeknight dinner idea.
- Vegetarian - this dal is a vegetarian meal that is full of flavour, hearty and healthy! Need I say more!
🍄 Planning a vegetarian feast? Start with my Puff Pastry Straws, add in my Grain Salad for some extra goodness and finish with a decadent Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding 🍄
What Readers are Saying
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Just made this...delicious! Thanks for sharing - Rebecca
Key Ingredients
Turmeric Powder - Turmeric is a spice commonly found in Indian cooking. This is easily available at supermarkets or local markets. Turmeric gives this dish a beautiful orange colour, but be careful as it can stain bench tops and clothes!
Red Lentils - I prefer using red lentils because they don't require soaking. They are super affordable and easily findable in supermarkets or local spice markets.
Fresh Tomatoes - this recipe requires four tomatoes, roughly diced. I prefer to use slightly firmer tomatoes and like the vine-ripened tomatoes.
Red Lentil Dal Recipe Step by Step Instructions
- Heat your oil over medium heat in a heavy-based saucepan, then add the onion and fry until soft for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant for 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in the turmeric and fry until fragrant, approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Pour in the vegetable stock and stir, scraping off the bottom flavours with a wooden spoon. Increase the heat and bring the vegetable stock to the boil.
- Add the lentils, stir then bring to the boil. Then add the carrot and the tomato.
5. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes covered or until the lentils are soft, but still have a bite to them. The consistency should be thicker than a soup. If it's too runny, take off the lid.
Expert Tip 👩🍳
Use a heavy-based saucepan to cook this lentil dal. The lentils will stick to the bottom of a cast-iron pot, and it's a disaster!
Red Lentil Dal Recipe FAQs
Dal is a traditional Indian lentil dish found across the country. It is also the product used in the dish - the lentils or other split legumes. This dish is typically named 'Masoor Dal' or 'red lentils'.
This is likely due to not adding enough salt. You can also add a boost of acid - lemon juice adds a beautiful flavour to the dal. Stir through the lemon juice at the end.
I usually keep leftovers for my lunch the next day. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge and use up as soon as you can. I haven't tried to freeze lentil dal before, but I definitely like to keep it for one more meal the next day.
I prefer to use a heavy-based saucepan over a cast-iron. I find that when I've used a cast-iron in the past, the lentils have stuck and burnt to the bottom, yet this doesn't happen with a saucepan. Stir the dish frequently to ensure the lentils don't stick to the bottom.
Other Suggested Lentil Recipes
If you tried this Red Lentil Dal Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went. I love hearing from you!
📖 Recipe
Red Lentil Dal Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Heavy-based saucepan
- 1 Wooden Spoon
- 1 Sharp kitchen knife
- 1 Chopping Board
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil coconut, avocado, vegetable, olive - your choice.
- 1 yellow/brown onion finely diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 2 garlic clove crushed
- 2 teaspoon ginger grated
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 ¼ cup red lentils around 8 oz
- 4 tomatoes diced
Instructions
- Heat oil in a medium-sized heavy-based saucepan over medium heat.
- Fry the onion until soft approximately 5 minutes, then fry the ginger and garlic together until fragrant for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the turmeric and stir through for 30 seconds.
- Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil.
- Once the stock is boiling, add the lentils and bring to the boil.
- Add tomatoes and carrot and stir well.
- Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, and simmer covered for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the lentils and vegetables are cooked through. If the dal is too runny, remove the lid.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve as is, or with naan bread or rice.
Rebecca says
Just made this - substituted fresh 🍅 for canned (Watties Indian Tomatoes) - delicious! A drizzle of greek yoghurt is a must!👌 Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Georgie says
thanks so much for the feedback Rebecca! Glad you lobed it 🙂
Marie says
Yay for one-pot recipes! I love the flavours in this lentil dal - I'm such a fan of ginger and turmeric together. It would be great to make on a cold day!
Alisha Rodrigues says
I can feel the flavor of simple spices in this recipe. Indian food is just amazing and this looks easy and delicious
Georgie says
it's so so good! I love that I can make it at home too and it still tastes like the real deal 🙂
Jill says
What an amazing adventure! I actually am not that familiar with Indian food. We don't have a place to get it around here and other than Naan bread I've not tried butter chicken or other Indian dishes. But I like lentils. And I've eaten ginger and turmeric in other foods. I'll have to try out this recipe!
Georgie says
Indian food is gorgeous I love it! If you find an Indian restaurant you have to go!
Julia says
Your trip to India sounds so interesting! Love the photos from your travels. I always thought that every Indian dish is spicy s good to know this one wasn't.
Georgie says
no, not at all!!! Indian is incredible I love it!
Lisa Bynum says
I have a friend from India who introduced me to Indian cuisine. I have to admit, I've been hooked ever since. I will definitely be trying this!
Georgie says
Indian food is up there with my all-time favourite cuisines!! the food is SO flavoursome!
Jen says
I love Indian food - all the flavors and spices. So good! I'm putting this dal on the menu soon! Love your beautiful pics of India!
Georgie says
thanks Jen, India was one of the most incredible places I've ever been!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
My very favorite recipe! Dhal is always delicious and perfect for any day!
Georgie says
it is! i love it too, it's so light fresh and healthy!