Indian-inspired · Vegan
Red lentil dhal
A comforting bowl of red lentils with cumin, cinnamon, ginger and gentle spice, brightened with lemon at the end.
- About 40 minutes
- Vegan
- Store-cupboard
Ingredients
- 120g red lentils, rinsed
- 400ml room-temperature water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 × 5cm cinnamon stick
- 1 brown onion, diced
- 1 green chilli, deseeded and minced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp finely minced ginger
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ⅛ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ × 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- Juice of ½ lemon
Method
- Put the lentils and water in a large saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over a medium heat and cook for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and cinnamon stick and cook for 60–90 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the onion, chilli, garlic and ginger. Cook for 4–5 minutes until the onion turns translucent.
- Add the turmeric, cardamom, paprika, salt and tomatoes. Cook for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes reduce, then discard the cinnamon stick.
- Drain only any excess water sitting above the cooked lentils. Stir in the spiced onion mixture and lemon juice. Adjust the salt and consistency, simmering longer to thicken or adding water to loosen.