Name: Sri Lankan Red lentil dal
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 cup red lentils; 2.5 cups water (divided); 1 small onion (chopped); 1 small tomato (chopped); 1 tsp ginger (minced); 3 cloves garlic (sliced); 1 green chili (halved); 2 sprigs curry leaves; 1 tsp turmeric powder; 1 tsp red chili powder/cayenne pepper; 1 tsp cumin powder; 1/2 tsp coriander powder; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk; 1 tbsp oil; 1 tsp mustard seeds; 1/2 tsp cumin seeds; 1 dried chili (broken to pieces); 1 sprig curry leaves; 1/2 tsp red chili flakes ((optional))

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A Sri Lankan dal (dhal) curry is easy and quick to make. This is a unique dal flavored with coconut milk, curry leaves and spices. It’s vegan, gluten-free and high in protein.

Dal or parippu is a staple in Sri Lankan cuisine. It’s such a simple dish but packed with flavour. It can be eaten with rice and curry, roti, naan or with toast; my husband’s favorite. It pairs with any carb.

If you are familiar with Indian dal, you’d be surprised to know that this dal is prepared the same way but with different flavors. We use coconut milk and temper with curry leaves.

What makes a red lentil dal a great meal

Red lentils are easy to cook with and they cook in no time. You can make this dal within 30 minutes.
They can be eaten with almost anything. rice, roti, naan, toast and even with plain noodles. Dal is my husband’s favorite so he’ll eat it with anything. But seriously, they are delicious with everything or just plain. I’ve caught myself eating dal by the spoon while cooking.
Red lentils are high in protein and low in calories. This curry is vegan and gluten free.

Ingredients

Red lentils – Masoor dal/daal/dhal
Onion
Tomato
Ginger, garlic
Curry leaves
Coconut Milk
Spice powders (turmeric, chili, cumin, coriander)
Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds

How to make

Start by rinsing the lentils. Rinse until the water runs clear.

In a pot combine the dal, water, onion,tomato, spice powders, garlic,salt and bring to boil. Cover and cook until all the water has evaporated and the dal is cooked.

Add coconut milk, extra water and simmer.

We add a tempering to the the dal to bring more flavor. Heat a small non-stick pan and add oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, dried chili pieces. Heat until the mustard start to splutter. Add this tempering to the dal.

Tips for cooking dal

No need to soak the dal. I used to do it but not anymore. Red lentils cook very fast so no soaking needed.
Rinse the dal thoroughly until the water runs clear.
If you can’t find curry leaves, cook without them. It will still be delicious.
Add chili flakes to the tempering for extra heat.
We use about 1/2 cup of canned full fat coconut milk. Please don’t use the lite version.
If you have leftover coconut milk from the can which you are not using right away, freeze it. I pour them into an ice-cube tray. Or small freezer bags and use the frozen coconut milk cubes in curries.

More Sri Lankan recipes to try

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