Red Lentil Dal — Red Lentils, Coconut Milk, 25 Minutes, One Pot
Yvonne Ammann VeganCook red lentils with turmeric, ginger and twice their volume of water for 15 minutes until they collapse, add coconut milk and tinned tomatoes, 5 minutes. Finally fry cumin, mustard seeds, garlic and chilli in oil and pour over the dal — the tadka makes the flavour. With rice and yoghurt.
Dal is the dish that is on the table in India every day, and in Switzerland it is the cheapest hot meal with protein: red lentils cook in 15 minutes without soaking into a creamy stew. What sets it apart from lentil mush is the tadka — spices toasted in hot oil at the end and poured over. Two minutes that change everything.
Ingredients
- 300 g Red lentils
- 1 piece Onion
- 3 cm Ginger
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tin Coconut milk (400 ml)
- 1 tin Tomatoes (chopped, 400 g)
- 1½ tsp Salt
- 1 piece Lime
Tadka
- 3 tbsp Rapeseed oil
- 2 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds (optional)
- 3 pieces Garlic cloves
- 1 piece Chilli (dried or fresh)
- ½ bunch Coriander
- 300 g Basmati rice
Method
- 1
Cook the lentils
Rinse the lentils. Finely chop the onion and ginger. Bring everything to the boil with the turmeric and 6 dl water, skim the foam, simmer 15 minutes until the lentils collapse. Stir occasionally.
- 2
Coconut milk and tomatoes
Add the coconut milk, tomatoes and salt, simmer 5 minutes. The dal should be thick like a soup that flows from the spoon — too thick, add water.
- 3
Rice
Meanwhile rinse the basmati and cook covered with 1.5 times its volume of water for 12 minutes, then rest 5 minutes.
- 4
Tadka
Slice the garlic, cut the chilli into rings. Heat the oil in a small pan until hot, add the cumin and mustard seeds — they should sizzle and pop —, after 20 seconds add the garlic and chilli, 30 seconds until the garlic is golden. Pour over the dal at once.
- 5
Serve
Stir in the lime juice, taste, scatter with coriander. With rice, a spoonful of yoghurt and naan or flatbread.
Tips
- Dal keeps four days in the fridge and thickens a lot — thin with water when reheating. It freezes perfectly. Double the amount is always right.
- Vegetables in: 200 g spinach for the last 2 minutes, 300 g diced pumpkin or sweet potato cooked with the lentils, 1 cauliflower in florets added after 5 minutes. Dal absorbs everything.
- Cumin seeds and mustard seeds are in the spice aisle at Migros and Coop. Ground cumin works in the tadka too — toast only 10 seconds or it burns.
What can I substitute?
The North Indian version — less creamy, but buttery. Or 1 dl cream instead of butter.
Yellow lentils need 20 minutes, mung beans 25. Green or brown lentils do not collapse — that gives soup, not dal.
For children. The dal is then mild and sweetish from the coconut milk — one of the best first curries.
Nutrition per serving
Estimated from the ingredients.
Frequently asked questions
What is a tadka?
Spices toasted in hot oil or ghee and poured over the dish at the end. The oil draws the aromas out of the seeds and spreads them — which is why a dal with tadka tastes more intense than one where the spices were boiled in. Two minutes, a small pan.
Do red lentils need soaking?
No. Red lentils are hulled and split and cook in 15 minutes. Just rinse until the water runs clear, and skim the foam when they come to the boil.
Is dal a complete meal?
With rice, yes. Lentils and rice combine into complete protein — about 20 g per portion. A spoonful of yoghurt and some vegetables, and it is a balanced meal, for children too.
How much does dal cost per person?
About 1.50 CHF per person with rice. Red lentils cost about 4 CHF a kilo at Migros and Coop, coconut milk 2 CHF a tin. One of the cheapest meals there is.
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