Sri Lankan Red Lentil Dal
An authentic Sri Lankan Dal Curry flavored with coconut milk, curry leaves and spices. Beautifully pairs with any carb - rice, roti or bread. No soaking need so on the table in less than 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Dal
- 1 cup red lentils
- 2 ½ 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
- ½ tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup full fat coconut milk
Tempering
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 dried chili broken to pieces
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- ½ tsp red chili flakes (optional)
Instructions
For the dal
- Rinse the red lentils until the water runs clear.
- Into a pot add red lentils, 1.5 cups of water, chopped onion and tomatoes, green chili, curry leaves, minced ginger, sliced garlic, turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and salt. Bring to boil.
- Turn the heat to medium, cover the pot and cook the lentils until all the water is absorbed and lentils are cooked through. This would take about 15 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk and 1 cup of water, stir to combine. Cover and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Check seasoning and add more salt if needed.
Tempering
- In a non-stick pan, heat the oil and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, broken dried red chili. Cook until the mustard seeds start to splutter. Add red chili flakes if using.
- Pour the tempering to the cooked dal.
- Serve dal with rice, roti or your preferred carb.
Video
Notes
- For everyday dal, you can skip the tempering. I use tempering only for special occasions.
- You can use 1 teaspoon of raw curry powder instead of cumin and coriander powders.
- Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 280 kcal | Total Carbs: 35 g | Protein: 13 g | Fat: 11 g | Saturated Fat: 6 g | Sodium: 642 mg | Fiber: 16 g | Sugar: 3 g | Vitamin A: 448 IU | Vitamin C: 41 mg | Calcium: 67 mg | Iron: 5 mg | Net Carbs: 19 g
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