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.
Has anyone tried this with coconut milk or Whole30 mayo?
I have used 1/2 C canned coconut milk instead of regular for it and it turned out fine.
This recipe is a keeper. I like the cream addition at the end. I used 1 1/2 tsp cumin and 1 tsp curry powder and stirred in 2 handfuls of baby spinach when there was about 7 minutes left of simmering
Delicious!
I made this for dinner tonight, except that I used a can of cocunut milk instead of evaporated milk. It came out very well, spiced but not overly spicy. I also had forgotten that I was out of rice until it was done, it work with tortilla chips pretty well.
This is my family’s go to favorite lentil recipe. We’ve played with it over the years – trying almond milk, coconut milk, extra spice, even cooking it all in one pot to skip the rinsing step. All are good. I usually add a quick vegetable beside like peas or zucchini with a little cumin and salt. Sometimes raita. Such a staple!
Do you know if whole red lentils with the skin removed are sold?
I haven’t seen whole masoor dal locally (and I have 3-5 “Indian supermarkets” at my local high street alone (wikipedia says Main Street is US equivalent). Some packets do say red lentils instead of red split lentils, but they all look split/thin spheres of red. Hope that helps.
Delicious but spicy! I made a few changes. I used fresh tomatoes, coconut milk and decreased the amount of cayenne pepper. If you have a low tolerance to spicy foods, you will want to use a lot less cayenne pepper.
Looks delicious, but is it possible to substitute or omit the tomatoes? I’d like to cook this for a relative with a tomato allergy. Thanks!
You might like my Creamy Coconut Curry Lentils recipe. :)
Oh, perfect, thank you!
Really tasty stuff for people who have never had dal and aren´t always sure about lentils. I was worried that 1/2 tsp of cayenne would be too spicy, even though we like a fair amount of spice, but it was perfect for us. At the end I took someone elses advice and added a teaspoon of chicken bouillon because I felt like it could use a little something. Perfect touch!
I doubled the recipe and used a can of full fat coconut milk, I also added chicken bullion powder and a jalapeno instead of cayenne it was delicious. I topped mine with a spoonful of greek yogurt, sriracha and cilantro. Dirt cheap and enough leftovers for the whole week:)
Great recipe! I added a sprinkle of garam masala and a bit more of each seasoning but all over, really simple and cheap (why I love your site!). Served with cauliflower rice and roasted okra for a lower carb meal. I forgot the cilantro and it was still great.
At the beginning of the pandemic I was looking for shelf stable sources of nutrition so I picked up a bag of brown lentils. I finally wanted to use them so I searched my favorite recipe blog for lentils and this recipe looked like something I’d like. I made it according to the recipe except I added 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala, a box of chopped (thawed) frozen spinach, and a few shakes of dried minced onion. It was delicious! But I found it a little too spicy. Maybe next time I’ll leave out the cayenne entirely.
Thanks Beth!
Delicious! I added half a red onion and some diced zucchini that I needed to use, and coconut cream instead of the evaporated milk since it’s all I had, and it worked out great! Thanks so much for sharing!
Absolutely wonderful! Even my younger brother liked it and he is a very picky eater. The only substitution I made was adding 1 cup of beef broth instead of water when adding the tomatoes and water to the lentils. It added an extra bit of flavor but I am sure it would work fine with just water still.
I love all of your recipes that I have tried but this is our favorite!!!
I make it every week or two and usually make the Naan bread with it. You and your blog are a treasure!
I have been making this recipe for years and I am OBSSESSED! I never leave reviews and am always on the hunt for easy, inexpensive recipes that taste amazing – and this one fits the bill. My husband who hates lentils and “needs” his meat with every meal loves it and asks for it all the time. So tasty and so easy to make, I always crave this recipe. Thanks!