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Things are a little tight this month so I made a resolution to use up all (or a lot) of the food that I have in my pantry and freezer. Sure, I should always be doing this anyway but exciting recipes always seem to entice me into trying (and buying) new things.
Anyway, I have two huge bags of lentils (a.k.a. “dal”) sitting in my pantry that have been waiting for their day in the spot light. I saw this recipe for Dal Nirvana over on Steamy Kitchen and it looked so scrumptious that I had to try it. The best part is that the ingredient list is mostly items that I already have. Indian recipes are tricky because they usually include ingredients that I don’t have nor have I ever heard of! This recipe, on the other hand is different. It’s simple, it’s delicious, it’s super filling and I’d happily eat it every day.
I served the Dal with some simple, steamed jasmine rice and homemade naan (Indian flat bread). The recipe for the naan will be up in a couple of days… it turned out AMAZING!
Place the lentils in a pot and cover with a couple inches of water. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil until tender (about ten minutes). Drain the lentils in a colander.
While the lentils are boiling, mince the garlic and peel and grate the ginger (use a small cheese grater). Return the drained lentils to the pot (medium heat) and add the butter, ginger, garlic, cayenne, cumin, salt and pepper.
Add the can of tomatoes and one cup of water. Stir it all together, bring it to a simmer then reduce the heat to low. Put a lid on the pot and let it simmer for half an hour. The mixture should be soft and thick after a half hour. If it is not, continue to simmer, adding more water if it dries out. You want the end product to be thick, not watery.
Stir in the evaporated milk or cream and garnish with fresh, chopped cilantro. Serve over rice or with naan bread for dipping!
I have this huge bag of brown lentils so that is what I used. Black lentils were used in the Steamy Kitchen recipe so feel free to experiment.
Place the lentils in a pot and cover with two inches of water.
Bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Boil until the lentils are soft (about ten minutes).
While the lentils boil, mince the garlic, peel and grate the ginger.
Drain the lentils then return them to the pot (reduce heat to medium).
Add the butter, garlic, ginger, cayenne, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir it on up.
Add the can of crushed or diced tomatoes, one cup of water and stir it all together.
Simmer the mixture with a lid on until it is cooked down to a soft, thick mixture.
Add the evaporated milk or cream…
Stir it up, sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve it up!
NOTE: I’m sure you could make this recipe for less money than I did. I happened to be near a Whole Foods yesterday so I stopped there to pick up the few ingredients that I didn’t have (cilantro, ginger, cream and diced tomatoes). I may have paid a little more than usual but this recipe is so simple and inexpensive that it was still well worth it.
The Steamy Kitchen version says it serves four but I portioned out my lunches and got six servings out of the pot. Of course, I was serving the Dal with rice and naan which bulked up the meal as a whole.
There is a trick to thicken dal quickly is to blend the 70% cooked dal into the blender and blend to a paste. You can thicken lentils by simmering it a little more or adding a table spoon of cream ( malai) into it….
Yellow, pink, and red lentils are primarily used for dal. Red split lentils are best for quick-cooking dal and are used in this recipe for that reason. Buy these in bulk and store them in the pantry for up to a year.
Best of all, black lentils are the most nutritious variety of lentils, boasting the highest amount of protein, plus high levels of calcium, potassium, and iron.
It makes sense together because you get the carbohydrates from the rice while deriving your protein from the lentils. The thing that makes them delicious is proper cooking techniques. Adjusting the amount of salt and other seasonings alongside some acidity can make almost any combination of food taste good.
After trying many different cooking methods for lentils, I have found that the most reliable way to cook perfectly tender lentils is to bring them to a rapid simmer, then reduce the heat to low for the rest of cooking.
With a size approximately 30% larger than traditional red split lentils, the sharply tapered edges on the King Red seed provides a clean split look ideal for quality conscious markets. Bright red colour after polishing makes the King Red stand above all others as truly the “king of red lentils”.
Basically, you need dal (lentil) to make dal (lentil soup). While you can make a dal out of any pulse, typically, the word “dal” only shows up in the name of a pulse if it is a split lentil. For example, chana dal = split chickpeas, whereas if I am referring to whole chickpeas, I would say chana or chole.
Daal are often known as lentils, but actually refers to a split version of a number of lentils, peas, chickpeas, kidney beans etc. If pulses are split into half, it is called as daal.
Why Should You Soak Lentils? Certain pulses have a natural drive of causing gas and bloating in the body. Soaking mimics the natural germination process and changes the seed that is dormant and indigestible into the dal laden with nutrients and complete digestibility.
Soak lentils before cooking them to minimize the gas they might cause. The soaking process will help get rid of some of the oligosaccharides, like raffinose that can make you feel gassy and bloated.
Lentils to do not require soaking like other pulses. Rinse your lentils with fresh water before boiling to remove any dust or debris. Cook on a stovetop, using 3 cups of liquid (water, stock, etc) to 1 cup of dry lentils. Be sure to use a large enough saucepan as the lentils will double or triple in size.
Plant-based folks will know that eating a half-cup of lentils will provide plenty of protein – 9 grams, in fact. That's more protein than found in an egg, so meat-eaters can chill with their protein questions.
They cook in around 25 minutes and are the most nutrient-dense kind of lentil. The best part is that black lentils are the most nutrient-dense type of lentil, including high quantities of calcium, potassium, iron, and protein.
Reason: 1) You have added too much water to the dal or 2) you undercooked the dal so the lentils stand separately and the water stands separately and they don't mix/emulsify into a creamy and thick texture. Solution: Boil the dal at a high heat for a longer time with the lid off.
Use wheat flour, rice flour, or coconut flour plus a fat (like ghee, olive oil, or coconut oil) in equal amounts. Cook both ingredients for a few minutes to cook out the raw flour taste, then add your curry ingredients. Once the whole curry dish comes to a boil, the sauce will thicken.
Depending on the lentils you use, they are usually shapeless, squidgy and fluid when served. The fluidity of dal depends on what you're serving it with. They tend to be thinner and more soup-like if they are being served with rice and thicker if they are to go with rotis, parathas and puris. But flow they should.
Introduction: My name is Tish Haag, I am a excited, delightful, curious, beautiful, agreeable, enchanting, fancy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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Servings 6
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