1 tablespoon sesame oil, or olive oil
1 cup white onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
4 cups water, or vegetable broth
1 cup dried red lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Dairy-free soy yogurt, for garnish
Gather the ingredients.
In a 3-quart stockpot or other medium-sized soup pot, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook, stirring often, until the chopped onion is translucent, about 6 minutes.
Stirring constantly, add the water or broth, lentils, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and salt. Bring to a low boil, then turn down the heat to low, cover and let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes, or until lentils are very tender.
Stir in the tomato paste until well combined. Cook several minutes more, or until the soup is at the desired temperature and consistency, adding more water to the dahl if needed.
Garnish with a dollop of dairy-free soy yogurt if desired. Serve hot and enjoy.
Variations
Indian cuisine is known to be on the spicy side, but it doesn't have to be. To dial down the kick, use 1/4 teaspoon of the cayenne pepper, or just omit it.
Add green chiles without the seeds instead. This will enhance the flavor of the overall dish without adding much spice.
For a slight taste and color variation, use a finely chopped red onion.
To thicken the sauce slightly, mix 1 tablespoon each of cornstarch and cold water into a smooth paste. Stir the slurry into the stew, bring it to a boil then down to a simmer until it's the desired thickness. This is not a good option if you want to freeze the dahl. The gelatin properties of the cornstarch will break down, and the dahl will be thin again once thawed.
Unlike other dried legumes, there's no need to soak lentils because they're small and come out perfectly tender with short cook times.
Combine all the spices in a small dish while preparing the ingredients. This makes it easy to toss all of them into the pot when needed.
If you're serving a lot of guests, you can have red pepper flakes available so that everyone can control the heat of their own bowl.
(per serving)
142 Calories 4g Fat 22g Carbs 6g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 142
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g 5%
Saturated Fat 1g 3%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 666mg 29%
Total Carbohydrate 22g 8%
Dietary Fiber 6g 21%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 9mg 44%
Calcium 71mg 5%
Iron 3mg 17%
Potassium 407mg 9%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.