Lentils (Dal)

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Spicy Lentils
(Dal)

By: Spoon Fork Spice

Prep Time: 10 Minutes 
 Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Serving Size: 4



Intro:

Looking for a hearty meatless Monday meal? Well look no further cause these lentils is where it's at! This is the ultimate comfort food in our house (aka Dal Chawal). It's got the right level of spice, it's filling and best of all qualifies as vegan! This I know because it's one of the few things I can quickly whip up when my brother (vegan diet 5yrs and counting) comes to visit. I typically enjoy my bowl of lentils and rice with spiced pickled mangos or carrots but honestly you can eat them as is, with rice or with naan. 

TIP: I used a pressure cooker to prepare this, I have used a Instant Pot before for large batches and it works beautifully. For those that don't own either this will cook on the stovetop as well on medium heat for around an hour (until the lentils are thoroughly cooked). 

Ingredients:

  • 1 Cup Black Lentils (Kali Masoor Dal if you look for it in a South Asian store)
  • 1 1/2 Diced Roma Tomatoes
  • 1 Small Diced Onion
  • 7 Cups Water
  • 1 Tsp. Salt (adjust to taste)
  • 1/4 Tsp. Turmeric
  • 1 Tsp. Cumin Powder
  • 1/2 Tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/4 Tsp. Red Chili Powder (Can add 1/4 more if you want it on the spicier side)
  • 1/2 Tsp. Garam Masala For
  • 3/4 Cup Cooking Oil of Choice ( I used Avocado Oil)
  • 4 Cloves of Finely Sliced Garlic
  • 2 Tsp. Cumin Seeds
  • 4 Curry Leaves (Optional)
  • 1/2 Cup of Chopped Cilantro
  • 1/2 Lime

Cooking Instructions:

1.) Fill pressure cooker with 7 cups of water.
2.) Add in lentils, diced onion, diced roma tomatoes, salt, turmeric, cumin power, black pepper, red chili powder and garam masala.
3.) Close pot and let cook on medium heat until the pressure cooker is fully pressurized and allow to cook for 13 minutes.
4.) Turn off heat and manually release pressure.
5.) Once pressure is released open lid and turn heat back on low.
6.) At this point you can adjust salt levels or add additional cup of water for a soupier consistency or leave it as is.
7.) In a separate pan heat up the oil and add in garlic, cumin seeds and curry leaves.
8.) Once the garlic is light brown pour the contents of the pan into the pot of lentils and let simmer for 2 minutes.
9.) Add chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

* Enjoy with brown rice (as pictured), white rice, bread such as naan or as is!