Red lentil dal
Red lentils cooked down to a cream, with a sizzling sauté of cumin, onion, garlic and ginger poured over the top.
- Time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Per serving
- R$3.90
- Servings
- 4 servings
Ingredients
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Dal is everyday food in India: lentils cooked until they fall apart, seasoned at the end with a hot sauté of spices, the tadka. It is cheap, quick and goes well with rice, bread or on its own, like a thick soup.
Method
- Rinse the lentils in a sieve until the water runs almost clear.
- In a pot, put the lentils, the water, the turmeric, the tomato and the salt.
- Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook partly covered for 18 to 20 minutes, stirring now and then and skimming off the foam.
- They should break down into a cream.
- If it gets too thick, add a little water.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat.
- Add the cumin and the asafoetida for 20 seconds, then the onion and cook for about 6 minutes, until golden.
- Add the garlic, ginger and chili and leave for 1 minute.
- This sauté is the tadka.
- Pour the tadka, with its oil, over the dal and stir.
- Finish with half of the lime juice and the cilantro.
Serve with rice, bread or toast and the rest of the lime at the table.
Tips
Taste after the lime: it lifts the salt and brings the dish to life. Dal thickens as it cools, so add a little water when reheating. It keeps 4 days in the fridge and freezes well.
India · per serving
Nutrients per serving
Calories
271 kcal
Protein
13 g
19% of kcal
Carbohydrate
39 g
55% of kcal
Fat
8 g
26% of kcal · fiber 7 g
Where the calories come from
- protein19%
- carbohydrate55%
- fat26%
Pick a target per meal to compare the recipe. They are starting points, not individual advice.
By food
| Food | Qty. | kcal | Prot. | Share of calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| red lentils | 50 g | 179 | 12 g | 66% |
| water | 225 g | 0 | 0 g | 0% |
| ripe tomato | 31 g | 5 | 0.4 g | 2% |
| turmeric | 0.8 g | 2 | 0.1 g | 1% |
| onion | 28 g | 11 | 0.5 g | 4% |
| garlic | 2.3 g | 3 | 0.2 g | 1% |
| fresh ginger | 3.8 g | 3 | 0.1 g | 1% |
| ground cumin | 0.5 g | 2 | 0.1 g | 1% |
| red finger chili | 2.5 g | 1 | 0.1 g | 0% |
| vegetable oil | 6.8 g | 60 | 0 g | 22% |
| lime | 15 g | 5 | 0.1 g | 2% |
| cilantro | 3.8 g | 1 | 0.1 g | 0% |
| salt | 1.5 g | 0 | 0 g | 0% |
Calculated with 13 of 14 ingredients. No data for: asafoetida (hing).
Source: USDA FoodData Central, editorial estimate, and TACO (Unicamp). Approximate values. Not medical or nutritional advice.
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