Try my Nepalese Red Lentil Dahl for a nutritious and vegetarian dinner option! Red lentils cooked with onions, garlic, ginger and aromatic spices into a delicious curry served over plain rice.
Pair this dahl with Simplified Cauliflower and Potato Curry “Aloo Gobi” for a complete vegetarian meal!
I’m always on the lookout for dishes that are packed with goodness and won’t break the bank while still having a taste to get excited about. This is just such a dish – nutritious, cheap and surprisingly delicious!
My husband developed a love for red lentil dahl while travelling in Nepal. It has since become a common addition to our dinner table, especially alongside an Indian curry.
For such a simple dish it is amazingly fragrant and comforting. The flavour is built gently and without a lot of ingredients, but it all comes together beautifully to make a dish that is creamy, comforting, and aromatic.
What is lentil dahl?
Dahl, dhal or dal is a lentil soup/curry that is often present at meals in Nepal and India. Traditionally it is served with rice, accompanied by another dish with vegetables and a variety of chutneys. If you want to try a next level dal recipe, take a look at Dal Makhani by The Veg Connection.
Nepalis take this dish, called dahl baht, very seriously and consider it their national dish. It is rare to find a Nepali who doesn’t eat this at least once a day! It is filling and nutritious, which makes it a great part of a balanced diet.
Every cook has their own recipe that slightly differed from the other but the basics hold true. And while I’ve made this recipe using red lentils, other lentils can be used instead depending on personal taste and what is available.
When I first had dahl, I was amazed that such simple ingredients could produce such deep and rich flavours. It is subtle but beautifully fragrant and such a comforting food to eat!
What spices to add
One of the best parts of this simple dish is the combination of spices – ginger, coriander, garlic, just a hint of red chillies. It does not have a lot of spice as the flavouring is quite gentle, which is why chutney often accompanies dahl.
The gentle flavours and lack of spicy heat make this a very kid-friendly meal option!
What to serve with dal
Whenever we have dal for dinner, we always have other dishes to complement it. Although it could be served on its own over basmati rice, it’s so much more delicious in combination with various curries, pickles, and chutneys.
Dal is also often served with flatbreads such as naan and chapati. Either of these can take the place of rice or be served alongside.
Favourite curries:
- Chickpea and Butternut Squash Curry
- Butter Chicken Curry
- Indian Spiced Meatballs in Curry Sauce
- Chicken Korma
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp ghee or oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 2" piece ginger grated (about a size of your thumb)
- 1 tsp coriander seeds crushed
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- 225 g /1 cup red lentils
- 750 ml /3 cups water
- ½-1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Heat ghee or oil in a deep pan and and cook onion over medium heat for 5-7 minutes without browning too much.
- Turn heat to low and add garlic, ginger, crushed coriander seeds, turmeric and red chilli powder, stir to combine and cook for 3-5 minutes longer.
- Add washed red lentils and stir to coat them with the onion and spice mixture, cook them while stirring for 2-3 minutes. (This step helps the lentils to keep their shape and texture).
- Add water, turn heat up and bring it to a boil, add salt, then turn it to a medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes.
- When the lentils are tender but still mostly hold their shape, stir in fresh chopped cilantro and take it off the heat.
Fran says
Unsure what I did wrong but turned out bland. I didn’t use ghee I wonder if that makes a difference.
Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
Hi Fran, although I would not describe a dal as bland, it is also not spicy like a curry, so if that’s what you were expecting I can see why you’d be disappointed. Nepalese lentil dals are very much comfort food and provide a much needed balance to spicy curries in a meal.
Stephanie says
Hello! I made this recipe last night, and it was truly delicious, and the closest to how I remember eating it when in Nepal. Thank you for sharing, and will certainly be cooking it again. All the best,
Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
That’s amazing, Stephanie!! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Marty Johnston says
Tastes of the world. Yum.
I think this recipe could turn Tyrannasuarus Rex into a herbivore.
Thank you for sharing.
Bob says
I ate Dhal bhat almost every day for 3 months when I traveled in Nepal. people wondered why i never got sick of it. But i love it, every place has it’s own variation so it’s different every time to me, some bland, some fantastically incredible, it was my staple go to food there. I’m only deciding to learn now how to make it now coming home. As my sherpa guides said the secret to their heavy carrying resilience was “Dhal Bhat power, 24 hour, no toilet no shower!” 😀
Dana Mann says
In agreement. My husband and I trekked the Nupree Valley for 8 days. Being in out late 60’s, our daily conversation highlight was wondering if we would have that “soupstuff” again. Yup, everywhere we stopped the cave like dining ares was filled with curry and ginger. We couldn’t wait….2nds became only natural as I would slip into the cooking area to help stir.
Today I ventured into Whole Foods for a quick take-out meal…..there before me was Dal Bhat I filled up my container to the overflow, raced home and ate standing up over the sink and groaned happiness with every spoon full. THANK YOU for sharing your personal recipe. I will treasure making it again and again. Bless the lovely people of Nepal. Dana
vikalinka says
Such a lovely story to share, Dana! Thank you!
VIMLA WESTWOOD says
I visited Nepal in 1971 and loved it. I come from Fiji where we have a small Nepali communities, some of whom are close friends of mine.
Dhal Bhat – simply dal and rice is very common term back home. We always say that if there is nothing else we can survive on dhal bhat and may be a pickle of some kind. Like in Nepal, we do have many versions of dhal preparation back in Fiji – from North Indian cuisine, to South Indian cuisine.
Amy Monteith says
I am making it now. It smells delicious. Do you usually cover the dish after adding lentils, or leave uncovered? Thank you! Love reading your stories and getting authentic recipes.
vikalinka says
Hi Amy, I leave it uncovered for some of the liquid to reduce. Thank you for visiting and cooking from my blog.
Josh Phillips says
I lived in Nepal for a year, and I really miss Dal bhat . This recipe is amazing, but still doesn’t taste exactly like how I remember it.
vikalinka says
Hi Josh, I would guess that is because there are hundreds of recipes and each cook has their own. My husband always said every house he went to served a slightly different version of it. That’s the beauty of this dish.
Curtis says
I’m so glad that Brad brought the recipe back and that you posted it. This is by far the BEST dahl recipe I’ve seen and everytime I make it now it brings back wonderful memories of the villages, the mountains and that amazing year I had with Brad in that breathtaking country among such beautiful people.
vikalinka says
That is the best review ever! Thanks so much, Curtis! I wish I could see Nepal for myself!
namuna says
hi, just wondering if you use uncooked lentils from a packet or canned lentils that are already cooked? i’ve just come home from living in nepal for three years and am missing my dahl everyday! i have tried a few different methods but just find it hard to make the dahl taste as good as if does in nepal! this recipe sounds great, i’ll be sure to give it a shot! dhanyabad (thankyou) 🙂
vikalinka says
I use dried red lentils, Namuna. I hope this recipe will do the trick for you!
Vanessa says
Hello there!
This is literally almost the same way I prepare dal. Great! Nepali cuisine is very yummy, I totally lost my heart to this country! You should try Mo:Mo: too! Aw, all this food made me hungry 😀 Tomorrow I am gonna make dal bhat 😀 Yay!
Cora says
This dahl recipe was absolutely wonderful!
It was so easy to make after a long day at work and tasted fabulous. Even the left overs the next day tasted delicious.
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
vikalinka says
Thank you for sharing your experience, Cora. Although I didn’t grow up eating dahl it is now one of my comfort food dishes!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
I have never experienced dahl, but I must try this and by the sounds of it, I will be experiencing the real thing (which is always a good thing 🙂 Thanks for linking up my Indian Stew, too! Have a great weekend.
bibek dhakal says
You can’t imagine the feeling when you encounter foreigners posting one of the declicacies of your country ,and that too, in such an authentic way as using the word ‘ghee’ in the ingrediants section without translating into butter. I’m not exaggerating but your recipe is quite original: it’s the same way most Nepalese cook Daal . Thanks to you and your husband.
vikalinka says
Oh my goodness, you made my day! Thank you for such a lovely comment. 🙂
Marie - Amira belly dancer says
That is a lovely comment you have left 🙂 I have just this second eaten my daal and absolutely loved it!! Thank you so much for the recipe vikalinka! 😀 I wanted to ask you, Bibek, what I would eat this with? I have just eaten it with some rice, but would like to have a meal out of it with two other parts to it. The daal is amazing on it’s own with the rice, but I felt like I wanted an extra bit of colour on my plate 🙂 I am a vegan, so no animal products for me. Thank you in advance. 🙂
Curtis says
The Nepalis will often eat Dal Bhat with Tarkari, which is like a vegetable curry. It is a beautiful compliment to this dish. Most tarkaris are a mix of chopped potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, onion, garlic, with a curry spice (turmeric, cumin, coriander and oil),
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
Your lentils look wonderful, I love the aromatics!
Helen @ Scrummy Lane says
Hello! This sounds amazing and really simple, too. Here in Greece where I’m living, there’s a lentil soup dish that I suspect ends up tasting a little similar to this. It’s delicious so I’m sure I’d like this too!
vikalinka says
Hi Helen, I just love lentils in any recipe, such comfort food for me!
Dixya @ Food, Pleasure, and Health says
being from Kathmandu,Nepal its nice to see daal here. im so glad you guys are enjoying it.
vikalinka says
Oh wow, Dixya, I hope this recipe is at least close to how you’d cook it. My husband swears that’s how their cook made it every day!
Nik@ABrownTable says
I love dal, I make it once a week at home. Your version looks deliciously gorgeous.
vikalinka says
Thank you, Nik! I am so relieved it’s approved by you. 😉
Tammy says
Sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing!
vikalinka says
You are so welcome, thank you for visiting Vikalinka.