The Easiest Dal
The Easiest Dal is one of those dishes that are healthy and satisfying to the last spoonful! The aromatic spices and creamy lentils served over rice are rich in flavor and texture. Plus, it can all be made quickly from items you can store in the pantry for those days when you want to make a nice, healthy meal in little time. Read along and I”ll show you your new favorite meal!
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What is Dal
You either know what Dal is and have probably eaten it, or you were like me a few years ago and thought “What is that mush? I bet it isn’t great.”
If you haven’t had Dal, I believe it is a gem of a recipe! Red lentils stewed with broth, spices, diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, and ginger. All of that goodness…coming together in about 30 minutes! A one-pot wonder meal! I keep all the canned goods and the dry lentils in the pantry for those days when I need dinner in a pinch and still want to provide a nutritious dinner. It makes a wonderful meal for a tight budget as well.
So a little back story (queue the chiming music and then fade away to my past life). A few years ago, I lived in Orlando, FL, and went to Disney several times a week because we had annual passes. Florida itself opened us up to many different cultures and foods and it was amazing! The flavors you can find in those hole-in-the-wall-mom-and-pop restaurants are worth exploring on your next vacation! Well, for one of the Food and Wine expos at Disney, I tried some of my first Indian food. Please don’t scoff at me haha I know it probably isn’t “authentic” but I loved the flavors! I was hooked. I started making Indian dishes at home and haven’t looked back.
Kid Approved
I have to add a little section for this. When my daughter was a year old, I needed to add variety to her diet. She couldn’t eat anything with texture. Anything too lumpy or chewy and she would vomit, but I wanted a way to get more veggies and protein into her. That’s when I made Dal for the first time thinking maybe she would eat it. I had read how it is good to introduce young kiddos to more intense flavors to broader their palate and decrease becoming picky eaters anyways. I had my fingrs crossed.
She gobbled it up! The red lentils cook down into a creamy…mush. But a desirable mush haha so she had no trouble eating it. She continues to ask for this meal as a 3 year old, and I know she will eat a large serving each time I make it. I love that she gets plant-based protein, veggies, and grain from the rice I serve it with. Makes me feel like I’m doing okay as a mom haha. If you need to be convinced on adding more lentils to your diet, just look into how nutritious they are! Additionally, if you have a kid who maybe needs to have a decent #2…this will clean them out in a great way 🙂
How to Make The Easiest Dal
This will be quick.
Go Ahead and do some prep before we turn the burner on. Dice the onion/garlic/ginger; rinse red lentils under the faucet in a mesh strainer; get out your spices, broth, and tomatoes.
Still with me after those few simple ingredients? I thought so…
OK, saute the onion. Add the garlic and ginger. Add the spices. Add the lentils, broth, and tomatoes. Simmer for 30 minutes. Serve over rice.
Whew! So hard! Haha NOT. See why it is amazing? you can get it going in a few minutes and then just let it do its thing and just stir it a few times while it cooks. I like to serve mine with some diced cucumber on top. If I hadn’t of had Indian food at Disney with cucumber on top, I would’ve thought this was a crazy idea, but trust me this. The cool, refreshing cucumber pairs perfectly with the heavier spices in this dish.
FYI…
You might have noticed, I served mine with brown rice. Brown rice is what I always keep in my pantry and serve with basically every rice dish for my family. We like it so it isn’t an issue, but definitely serve Basmati rice if you want this to be more tradtional. You could aslo make this a vegetarian meal by using vegetable stock instead of chicken.
I will also say, there have been many times that I haven’t had ginger on hand and we still love it without the ginger. So keep that in mind just in case. I usually like to buy a knob of ginger and cut little slices (skin on still) and freeze them in between wax paper. I can pull out what I need and slice the skin off, dice, and use it. Also, it is great to have on hand if you have a stomach ache! Just boil a few slices in water and serve with honey to help that tummy ache!
Enjoy!
Again, just like my Cuban Beans, this is a meal I always keep ingredients on hand for and I make it often. It is cheap and healthy, and my daughter likes it as much as we do. Win. Win. Win. I know you will love it, and I hope you have the same luck with your kids as I have with the Easiest Dal!
The Easiest Dal
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil or coconut oil
- 1 Onion diced
- 2 Cloves Garlic diced
- 1 Tbsp Ginger diced
- 1 15 oz Can Diced Tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
- 1 Box 32 oz Chicken Broth or vegetable stock for vegetarian option
- 1.5 Cups Red Lentils rinsed
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Coriander
- 1 tsp Curry
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Heat a pot over medium-high heat and add oil. Saute onion until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for 1 minute.
- Turn heat down to medium and add spices. Stir constantly for 30 seconds to avoid burning the spices while opening their flavors.
- Add lentils, tomatoes, and broth and stir to combine.
- Bring up to simmer and simmer with a lid on for about 30 minutes or until the lentils are creamy and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir occasionally while cooking.
- Serve over rice. Top with diced cucumbers, if desired.
