Fast and simple daal using red lentils.
I tempered the dal the traditional way by heating the oil in a little pan and then added fresh chopped onion (about 1/2 cup), cumin and a half teaspoon of minced garlic. Cook till onions are a light golden brown. Add the cumin and garlic in the last 45 seconds before pouring oil mixture into the daal. Also using ghee (clarified butter) or regular butter gives it a richer and more authentic flavor. Cook the combined mixture for about 2 minutes on low heat. Yummy.
Read MoreThis recipe is missing quite a few stars of the show in my opinion. No Garlic! No Garam Masala spices mixture! Not nearly enough turmeric! Dried onion instead of fresh?! And no cilantro?! This needs at least 1 teaspoon of Garam Masala. An additional 3/4 teaspoon of turmeric... 4 gloves of minced garlic, an inch and a half of minced fresh ginger root, a 1/2-3/4 cup cilantro, and a whole fresh onion. I also usually shred some carrot to add to it when cooking the lentils. And I add a diced medium tomato at the end. I saute 1 diced onion in about 1/4 cup oil until its softened... then add the minced garlic, ginger, and spices and cook for 4-5 minutes, ensuring not to burn the spices and garlic. Then I add the diced tomato and cilantro to the onions and cook til the tomatoes get nice and soft, stir that mixture into the lentils... simmer it all together for about 5-10 minutes and serve it over steamed basmati rice. I've been doing it like this for ages and its incredible. For those that dislike cilantro, just omit it or use much less.
Read MoreThis recipe is missing quite a few stars of the show in my opinion. No Garlic! No Garam Masala spices mixture! Not nearly enough turmeric! Dried onion instead of fresh?! And no cilantro?! This needs at least 1 teaspoon of Garam Masala. An additional 3/4 teaspoon of turmeric... 4 gloves of minced garlic, an inch and a half of minced fresh ginger root, a 1/2-3/4 cup cilantro, and a whole fresh onion. I also usually shred some carrot to add to it when cooking the lentils. And I add a diced medium tomato at the end. I saute 1 diced onion in about 1/4 cup oil until its softened... then add the minced garlic, ginger, and spices and cook for 4-5 minutes, ensuring not to burn the spices and garlic. Then I add the diced tomato and cilantro to the onions and cook til the tomatoes get nice and soft, stir that mixture into the lentils... simmer it all together for about 5-10 minutes and serve it over steamed basmati rice. I've been doing it like this for ages and its incredible. For those that dislike cilantro, just omit it or use much less.
I tempered the dal the traditional way by heating the oil in a little pan and then added fresh chopped onion (about 1/2 cup), cumin and a half teaspoon of minced garlic. Cook till onions are a light golden brown. Add the cumin and garlic in the last 45 seconds before pouring oil mixture into the daal. Also using ghee (clarified butter) or regular butter gives it a richer and more authentic flavor. Cook the combined mixture for about 2 minutes on low heat. Yummy.
Good dal recipe; however, if you soak the dal for an hour before cooking (preferably overnight, but an hour will do) the dal will get softer much quicker. also, fresh dhaniya leaves (=coriander, cilantro) added at the very end, after the dal is cooked, will add so much to flavour. just a handful of dhaniya will do. :)
This is so easy and tasty! I make this all the time and my husband loves it. It's a bit spicy for those who don't like spice, so I cut back a little on the cayenne and add lemon juice before serving. I also don't have cumin seeds so I use ground cumin and it comes out perfectly. A little cilantro is an excellent addition if you have it.
This is a good backbone for a recipe but it needs literally quadruple the amount of seasonings. revisions as follows: 1 cup lentils 2 inch piece of ginger peeled and minced 2 tsp turmeric powder 1 tsp salt (you may need more) 1 tsp cayenne pepper 1/4 cup oil or butter 1 fresh onion chopped fine 1 tablespoon cumin seeds PLUS 2 tsp garam masala powder 2 tomatoes chopped 1 bunch cilantro chopped 4 cloves garlic minced I promise you it will not be over-seasoned, as this is pretty much impossible. The ingredients are right in the recipe, though a few essentials are missing, but I do not see how this could be flavorful with the amount of spices in the original recipe.
I don't know a huge amount about this style of cooking...but the idea of a pile of seasoned lentils seemed unappealing to me. I added a can of diced tomatoes to make a nice sauce and that made it yummy. I'm not certain if that is a 'wrong' choice for this style of food (like puting kethcup on sushi), but the diced tomatoes certainly made my family eat this up. We are vegetarian so I am always happy to find a tasty, simple recipe. I sauteed real onion and just used a premixed blend of 'Indian Masala' (Club House brand). A nice healthy meal, especially with warm Naan and rice. I would give my version (added diced tomatoes and real onion) five stars.
I loved this recipe! I was looking for a simple lentil recipe to get me through until my next paycheck and I spied this one. I had all of the ingredients on hand except ginger which I left out. I also added a dash of garam marsala and fenugreek. I will DEFINATELY be making this again!
I added 1/4-1/2 tsp. of garamasala (got this spice at Whole Foods) to mine. Plus, a friend from Malaysia always made hers w/ chopped tomatoes, so I added 1/2 of a chopped tomato to mine. Also, I only added 1/4 tsp. of cayenne because I was going to feed my 9 mo. old this for her dinner. It was still too hot for her. It was perfect for us.
I didn't care for this much at all. I'm pretty sure it was my fault. I don't think I cooked the lentils long enough. Even though they were soft and soupy like the instructions indicate, they still had a "raw" taste that really messed with the flavor. Probably won't attempt this again since I'm not a big lentil fan, but I'm glad I gave it a shot.
I signed up to be an AllRecipes member just to review this recipe-- I think it's that good! SO easy, and delicious over basmati rice.
We really enjoyed this recipe and will have it again! It was a bit salty so next time I would cut back on that. I also used less cayenne and chrystalized ginger instead of the raw. My one problem was that I don't think it would fill four people. It made barely three filling servings for us and I served it with naan to make up the difference. Delicious though. Even my three year old liked it and it was a bit spicy.
My baby loves this recipe (and so do we), and I make it often. The reason I'm only giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is because it calls for WAY too much salt. I use less than 1/2 the recommended amount and it is more than enough. I also use somewhat less cayenne, although if I'm making it for the grown ups instead of the baby I use closer to what the recipe calls for. Overall a simple, easy, lovely dish. Two thumbs up!
I liked this but for some reason my came out a bit salty so next time I'll cut back on the salt and just season to taste. Being of Pakistani descent, I had daal growing up and this was pretty close to how my mom makes it, but mine is never as good since she uses the freshest spices all hand ground and fresh pureed ginger and garlic etc. To make sure I had some of that freshness, I used real (not dried) onions and sautéed them in butter/oil until golden brown then added about 1tsp garlic (we love it) and 1 tsp cumin seeds and cooked until fragrant then added it all to the cooked lentils (as specified in the recipe). And of course you have to add cilantro at the very end. And just because I was too lazy to make rice and I had just made the kids some spaghetti for lunch, I went ahead and put the daal over plain spaghetti and it was really yummy.
This was delicious and vegan! This was my first time using lentils, so a bit more advice on how much water to use when cooking the lentils would have been helpful. If I remember correctly, I used a full 16 oz. bag of lentils (which made more than enough) and used about 4 cups of water, because I wanted the mixture to have a bit more saucy texture to go over the rice. I also added about a tablespoon of molasses and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar to add a bit of savory sweetness to the daal. If you are making this recipe, follow the advice of previous users and temper your curry for about 45 seconds to bring out its flavor and pour the oil mixtures right onto your lentils. Also, the suggestion of the adding coriander leaves (cilantro) was a great idea and adds fresh flavor that compliments the spices. I also chopped up so fresh tomatoes and added them into the daal mixture. I will definitely make this recipes frequently. Its cheap, and relatively easy once you get used to cooking lentils.
This was AMAZING. I followed the recipe exactly and the stuff was delicious. I had it that night over basmati rice and took it for lunch the next day with a baked potato! Would like to try it with fresh onions sometime to see if it is even better.
We liked this. I did add in garlic, and used real onion. We ate it over quinoa, and it made a great simple lunch.
Absolutely the best. I took the first review's advice and did fresh garlic and onion and it turned out AMAZING.
Simple, hearty and delicious. Like some of the other reviewers, I used fresh onion, and added garlic. After tasting, I added Garam masala to my bowl and will add 1T of it to the pot next time I make this, I can see this recipe being a frequent go-to dinner over the cooler months.
I used Nikolette T's suggestions as I love garlic and I actually had Garam Masala for once and wanted to give it a try. Was my first time attempting Indian food even though I've always loved it, and it came out great! Next time I'll use fresh tomatoes instead of the canned I had on hand (I like the texture of fresh much better), and I didn't use ginger as I didn't have any. That being said, it was delicious and it made A LOT of food. I have plenty to freeze for future meals!
This was a good recipe. It was my first time cooking with lentils. I will say that it took my lentils almost an hour to get tender, and I had to use more water... I actually used half chicken stock and half water. I also cut the cayenne in half (it was still pretty spicy!) and added about a teaspoon of curry powder. It came out pretty good, and I will definitely be making it again!
I did as others suggested: 4T of turmeric, some Garam Masala, tarragon, sugar, salt and cayenne pepper made it perfect. Served it with plain yogurt, yum.
First time I've made lentils and they turned out great! I only made several small changes, 1. Mixed chicken stock with the water 2. Used a small fresh onion instead of dried onion 3. Sauteed one clove of garlic minced with the onions. Will definately make again.
This was so simple and delicious! It was great served over basmati rice.
i used regular green/brown lentils turned out great. I did use ginger garlic paste and garam masala. YUM! everyone loved them. this recipe is a keeper and I'll be making it again.
I really enjoy this everytime I make it.Don't be afraid of adding more and more water- It will just soak up and cook off. I also add garlic, use fresh onion, add some chunks of fresh tomato and let them cook through- I sometimes even add cream and cubes of sauteed tofu as to make it more of a meal. Doing it this way makes it far from the traditional daal I ate as a kid but man is it delicious. Also, make sure you top it with cilantro as some one else had mentioned- it really makes it great!
This is a great base for a daal recipe. I add garlic and more spices including cardamom and coriander to make a more flavorful dish. I also love to throw in some frozen peas at the end to give the dish color. I serve with naan bread and curried cauliflower (put cauliflower in a skillet with a little water, add coconut milk and curry powder, cook until soft).
The water is a little vague so I am trying to get that down but it is very very good :)
This is a GREAT recipe! I just made a couple small adjustments. I added 1/4 tsp of both ground cumin and coriander. I sauted 1/2 cup of finely chopped onions in vegan margarine with the cumin seeds. I didn't like the idea of the microwave or dried onion. Definitely a keeper!!
Thanks. Cathy. I also found this recipe easy and tasty. I like the spicy stuff so I added more tumeric and cayenne and ground cumin instead of seeds. Also I browned real onion. Why use dried? One might recommend sending a small portion to the blender to make it a thicker concoction.
I added Garam Masala per other reviewers. This was okay, after I added tomatoes, garlic and more cumin.
I made this tonight. I sauteed onions and the sliced zucchini, as someone else had recommended. Then I put it back in the pot with lentils and also added a can of diced tomatoes. It was good but nothing outrageous. Although my 8 yr old son that it was THE BEST. And my husband did enjoy it. Simple and easy to prepare,yet no sure I would rush to make it again soon.
doubled the recipe. followed another reviewer's suggestions, using one small fresh onion and a clove of garlic. probably shouldn't have doubled the cayenne, as it was too spicy for my taste. i might try it again though, and play around with the spices a little bit
The flavors in this were good, although I did only 1/4 tsp. of cayenne and did ground cumin instead of seeds. I cooked everything in the crock pot, adding just shy of 1 cup brown rice and doing about 5 cups of water. I let it cook all day on low and when the rice tasted done, I added some fresh chopped flat leaf parsley and chives. We ate it in tortillas and it was filling.
Used fresh onion and added garlic, garam masala, more cumin, and diced tomatoes as other reviewers suggested. Served over white rice. Thumbs up from the whole family. Will definitely make again.
Very easy and flavorful! 1/2 teaspoon cayenne is too hot for my taste; next time I'll add a dash. I added garlic. Yummy!
Excellent recipe! I added a little more cayenne powder for some extra spice!
Mine turned out really dry, which made it pretty awful. Make sure it stays wet and soupy! I will try again.
A good recipe..and easy as the recipe suggests...but I would say this is pretty much the most basic way to make it. I agree with some of the other posters that fresh onion is much better in my opinion...as well as a dash of garam masala. I fried the cumin seeds before adding it, and it really brought out some lovely flavour into the dish. A little butter in the end makes it truly decadent!
This recipe took such little effort that I was really surprised when it tasted like I'd been slaving away on it for hours. Ridiculously easy for how tasty it is! Side note: I didn't have ginger so I used a ginger garlic paste I had in the fridge and it worked with the recipe splendidly.
Marvelous! The easiest and best at home Indian recipe I've ever made. Very simple. Followed other ideas and used some fresh onion along with minced in butter. My family was blown away as was I. Served with Jasmine rice and peas.
Soooooooo good! I made this and added fresh onion sauted on the stove and per another review i drained a can of tomatoes and added them! It made a great filling lunch with some plain brown rice on the side...i will def make this again!
Very good recipe and I will be making it again. It was a bit dry so perhaps I need to make an adjustment on the water. I did throw in some garam masala on top of the other spices and the flavor was great.
This did not work out so well for me. The taste was good but the texture was unappealing, so maybe it was me.
This was very easy and tasty. I didn't find it spicy enough so I added more tumeric and cayenne pepper. I also added chopped cilnatro to the finished product, which I served over brown rice. The next day I added some stir fried zucchini to the leftovers. I think I liked it better with a green veggie added in. next time, I want to try this with spinach.
Added some diced carrot but otherwise followed precisely. This was very tasty and very easy. I served it over basmati rice and topped with some yogurt (next time I'll make up some raita).
Tasty! Sometimes l use it as taco filling in place of meat/meat substitutes. I use real onion and do it all on the stove.
I thought it was very tasty. Since some said it was spicy and I am pregnant and have an almost 3 year old, I decided to cut the cayenne down to 1/4 tsp. Thought that amount of heat was perfect...perceptible but not owerpowering. Thanks for the recipe!
goes really well with basmati rice. alone the pepper needs to be reduced. it's now a family favorite
I used real onion since I didn't have minced, and sautéed in a pan instead of microwaved. Can't beat the simplicity of ingredients and the quick prep time. Lots of flavor and nutrition with minimal efforts. I will make this recipe frequently!
This is a good side dish that could go well with many different options. I went with cumin powder instead of seeds plus extra cayenne. About fifteen minutes into cooking I needed to add a forth cup of water also.
I made this with brown lentils because I couldn't find any red lentils at my grocery store but it still turned out great. I served it with rice and it was delicious and filling...and very easy to make. I have no complaints.
Really good. I was afraid of lentils but now I am sold. I will be making this again.
This was absolutely delicious! I sauteed fresh onions and garlic separately and added them in after everything else was it. I also added three carrots and a tomato and much more lentils. I will definitely make again! It would be great with some warm naan
This is very good, although I made a few changes. The minced dried onion was a little too strong for me and it seemed to overpower the dish. The second time I made the daal, I decreased the onion to 2 tsp and it was much better. I also decreased the salt to 3/4 tsp because the full tsp was too much for me. I have tried this with fresh jalapeno instead of cayenne, and fresh garlic instead of garlic powder. Both ways are great, so use whatever you have on hand. last time, I tried this with the regular brown lentils that are in your grocery store - this turned out well also. I am adding this to my regular rotation! One thing to add - a handful of chopped fresh cilantro at the end. That really makes the dish!
This was my first lentil recipe ever, and it was an absolute breeze to make. It needs a bit more flavor, though; perhaps a bit more curry.
It is totally delicious and totally easy to make. Loved it!
I've never had this dish professionally prepared, so my high rating my be impacted by that. I thought this was pretty tasty. Make sure your spices are fresh. I did doubled the amount of turmeric, and I used fresh onion and sautéed them in butter till tender. I also added 1/4 tsp of ground cumin to the onions along with the cumin seed. It does seem like it's missing a little something - I'll have to play with the spices. I ate it with basmati rice and that really made the meal in my opinion.
This was really delicious, use less cayenne unless you like it really hot like we do. I used broth instead of water so I omitted the salt, and used powdered cumin cause I didn't have seeds. I did find this took longer to cook than the posted time.(There were leftovers so I added a small boiled cut up potato, equally as good.)
I made this in a way very similar to NKASAM... using fresh onions, garlic, a mix of oil & butter. Totally delicious. Even my 1-yr old loved it. :) I've made it twice already.
So simple, yummy and nutritious - a keeper. I actually combined three different kinds of lentils and will try the original recipe next time around...
Oh, my, goodness!! I cannot believe how amazing this dish is! I'd give it a 10, if that were possible. The spice mixture is just so incredible tasting. I think I'll try the spice mixture on rice and/or quinoa and/or couscous, too. I used green lentils, and they worked fine.
So good! I followed what other reviewers said and added fresh garlic, onion, more turmeric, garam masala, and tomatoes. I had leftover tomatoes and onion so this was a perfect opportunity to get rid of them. I didn't have cilantro or red lentil so I skipped cilantro and used green lentil instead. This is a simple, easy, healthy and delicious dish. Served it over basmati rice.
Hearty, flavorful, satisfying lentils. Nothing amazing, but very versatile to different add-ins and spice combinations!
I rate it 5 stars, but only with changes to the recipe. I modified the recipe on the advice of some other reviewers. I bumped up the tumeric to 1 tsp, used 3 fresh sliced, deseeded chilies instead of cayenne, butter in place of veg. oil, 1 whole sliced onion instead of dried, and added 1 tsp garam masala. And added 1 chopped tomato. I made the lentils separately first. Then sauteed the onions in butter, added the spices and sauteed 1 minute. Then added the tomato and cooked until soft. Then added the lentils and simmered. For me this only made 2 generous servings, because it was so delicious!
This probably would have been fantastic as is but I made the following changes: -added a diced small onion and a large clove of garlic -cooked lentils on their own with some salt -sauteed onion and garlic in oil then added spices -increased turmeric to 1 tsp, added 1 tsp garam masala and used 1 tsp ground cumin instead of seeds -added extra tsp salt along with a chopped tomato at the end This made enough for my husband and I with enough for 1 serving left over. Next time I'll double the recipe so we can have more leftovers. Excellent vegan meal!!
Really simple and tasty! I love the amount of spice (not too much, not too little) and instead of fresh ginger I used 1/4 tsp ground, and instead of cumin seeds I use 1/4 tsp ground, and it turns out great! I serve this over brown rice and it's a great compliment. The only thing I would say is it doesn't re-heat well.
Very good basic recipe if you've never made this before! I did however use ghee and fresh onion and toasted the spices in a separate pan before adding to the lentils. delicious!
Simple to make and tastes great!
So easy and tasty. I just added onion powder and ground cumin instead of step 2 (no oil). Incredibly low calorie and filling.
Great recipe! I did use green lentils instead of the red simply because its what I had on hand. Wouldn't change a thing beyond that. Was flavorful and had a bit of a kick. Anyway, this will definatly become a staple in our house.
Great recipe. I LOVE IT! I did not use dried onion though and just saute the onion, oil and cumin for several minutes until the onion was soft. I think as some other reviewers mentioned coriander would be good!
Really good. I didn't have any ginger, so I just left that out. Instead of heating up the oil/seasoning ingredients in the microwave i used a skillet. Also, instead of cayenne pepper I used Red Chili powder that I picked up at the local Indian market ( used the same amt. as the recipe suggested for pepper). I used yellow spit peas instead of the red, and I soaked them over night. Finally, I added 1/2 tsp of Garam Masala, and 1/4 tsp of coriander. It was spicy, but I love it that way. I served it over plain white rice and whole wheat pita bread. mmmmm. Will make again.
Wow! I'm not a frequent cooker of lentils, but this was very good (and very fast). I took the suggestions of a few other reviewers: I added garam masala, garlic, and a little extra turmeric. I also added diced tomatoes and cilantro. Excellent--will definitely make again!
nothing fabulous, but definately good. cooking the onions on the stove gave them a slight burnt taste which worked really well. they did need a lot of seasoning however. i upped every seasoning by at least a half tsp, cayenne by probably a whole tsp and they still weren't as spicy as you get in indian restaurants.
thank you. this was the first time I have made this and it was fab. i had to use frozen onion and next time i think i will add a fresh one.
This was so tasty! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I needed to add more water during the cooking process and realized the importance of stirring this during the simmer phase. I'll definitely make this again!
I sauteed the onions and cumin seeds and added minced garlic and this is delicious!
This recipe is sooo good. It really fills you up. The only changes I made was to add a little bit of butter and some mozzeralla.
Very delicious. I used brown lentils, half cup fresh chopped onion, omitted the ginger and cumin, but added about 2 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar halfway thru the simmer time for an extra kick. I did have to add extra water to it as the lentils cooked to tender. a great dish, thank you very much!!!
Yum and thank you. I used fresh onions that I sauteed first and added garam masala, fresh ginger and cayenne. I didn't have any turmeric or cumin but the garam masala is so flavorful, although difficult to find. Also added a chicken boullion cube to my doubled recipe. Tasted like our local Ethiopian restaurant.
I think this was tasty...I couldn't find red lentils it was still good with brown lentils. I have 2 small complaints. It was really salty and really hot. I added the full 1/2 tsp. and WOW! I was on fire. I'll definetly make it again, just less salt and less cayenne. I served it along side tandoori fish and with Naan.
Good recipe. I adjusted it a bit based on the items I had on hand. I used a pre-soaked package of brown lentils from Trader Joes (appx. 2 cups per package), heated them up in the microwave, then added them to a saucepan with the seasonings (still heating the oil, cumin, etc. separately for a minute in the microwave). I kept with the recommended amount of seasonings for the 4 serving recipe. It worked well, it would have been over seasoned otherwise. I would, however ease up a little on the salt (I didn't realize the pre-soaked lentils were already salted.) Also, I forgot the cayenne originally, but it tasted great anyway, I added the cayenne to our leftovers and that was also nice, it just depends on your preference of spice.
This recipe has potential, but if prepared according to the instructions, it also has the potential to fail. My batch came out way to thick, salty, and spicy. I also would have appreciated knowing the EXACT cupful amount of water to add to the lentils instead of it just telling me "cover with 1 inch of water", because depending on the size of your pan, you could end up with the improper amount, as I suspect happened in my case. And because I was told to use so little water, of course the salt and spices were overwhelming, as well as the daal turning out like a thick paste. I will try this recipe one more time with the proper corrections, of course. I also opted to add 1/4tsp of garam masala, and used 1/2C fresh onion, and ghee in place of the oil, all for a more traditional Indian taste.
I thought this recipe was pretty awesome. I would go a little light on the salt and heavy on the ginger and cayenne. But I'm ginger nut.
I added a spoonful of "Patak's spicy ginger and garlic" sauce to finish it - it added more spice and a little tang and a beautiful color. Also added a handful of spinach to make it even more healthy.
I used fresh onion and cooked it with the lentils. Added garam masala and garnished with cilantro. Delish!
