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!
Dal Nirvana
Dal Nirvana
Servings 6Ingredients
- 1 cup dry brown lentils ($0.31)
- 1 15oz. can crushed or diced tomatoes ($1.49)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.12)
- 1 inch fresh ginger ($0.07)
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.03)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin ($0.03)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.17)
- salt and pepper to taste ($0.05)
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk or cream ($0.75)
- 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro ($0.37)
Instructions
- 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!
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Nutrition
Step By Step Photos
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.
Any thoughts on how you might adapt this for the instant pot? I feel like it shouldn’t be that hard right?
Hmm, it should be pretty easy, but I’d have to play around with the liquid amounts to get it just right for the lentils so you don’t have to cook them separately and drain first.
I will make this always. SO GOOD!
This was delicious, but 1 cup was not enough for my family of 5 (2 small children in that).
I made this for my non-profit group as part of a middle-eastern themed luncheon. Rave reviews from even the picky eaters.
Not my cup of tea. I expected this to be more creamy, what I’m used to when I hear “dal.” The brown lentils were still rough by the end of the cooking. I might try this again with red lentils, but I think I’m better off seeking out other recipes.
Oh man this is so, so good. I like mine topped with sour cream and a squeeze of siracha.YUM! Also I have a confession, I never peel my ginger in any recipe. Mainly because peeling ginger is a time consuming, tedious task, I just grate it on the small hole side and I can’t tell the difference in the slightest. Just a tip for anyone looking to save time.
Ginger is pretty easy to peel if you use a spoon instead of a peeler. Just scrape the skin off with a regular spoon. It’s good at getting into all those little nooks that ginger has.
This recipe has become a family staple! I have tweaked it slightly by cooking everything together, instead of boiling the lentils separately. Otherwise it’s perfect as is! I’ve swapped coconut milk a few times because I had half a can to use up and it was wonderful. I’ve also swapped broth for some of the water – again, stuff to use up – with very good results. Thanks for a slam dunk recipe! Some of your naan on the side is perfection.
This sounds great, and I have a BUNCH of lentils to use, so I need new recipes. Quick question, though; do you drain the tomatoes or use the liquid in the can? Thanks!
No draining required. Use everything in the can. :)
This looks soo delish, but I was wondering if it would be possible to substitute the milk or cream for a non dairy item?? Would love to try a vegan version of this. Thanks.
Yes, you can use coconut milk (the thick kind in a can, not the dairy milk substitute, which is thinner). :)
Why do you use evaporated milk here? Can I use regular milk or even canned coconut milk?
Regular milk will be too thin, but you can use canned coconut milk or even half and half. :)
This dish has become a favorite in my house, its fast and easy, dirt cheap and super flavorful. Instead of evaporated milk I like to add sour cream and top with Siracha and cilantro, its so good, I have a pot on the stove right now :)
This is a simple delicious and healthy recipe. I made today to go with some leftover rice I had from my indian takeout last night. I used red lentils and coconut milk as I didn’t have any heavy cream and it turned out great. Thanks so much!
This recipe was outrageously delicious! It took a bit longer to cook down the water than I thought, but totally worth the wait.
This was SO good! I will be making this recipe over and over again. Thank you!
I made this tonight its lovely! I added some cumun seeds, garam masala as well as sautéed onions. Its got such a full flavour with much more bite than i expected! Love it