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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!
MMy husband developed a love for red lentil dahl while travelling in Nepal in his 20s and brought a somewhat vague recipe back with him. That recipe has gone through a few changes and the final result is what you see here. 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.
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!
Recipe tips and notes
- There is a huge variety of lentils available, but the right ones for this dahl are red lentils. As red lentils are actually orange, it does get a bit confusing!
- A lentil dahl is far more pleasant to eat when the lentils hold their shape and don’t become a soupy mess. To achieve this, pan fry them for 2-3 minutes before adding water. And don’t let it simmer too long. Stop when they are soft but not falling apart.
Serving suggestions
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 or coconut 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.
You’ll love dal as a side to a traditional curry, reach for chicken curry with potatoes or one of the suggestions below!
Storage and leftovers
Any leftovers can be kept in a fridge for 4-5 days if stored in an airtight container. Reheat either in a microwave, or in a saucepan with a small splash of water if the dahl is looking too thick.
To store for longer, let the dahl cool completely then freeze for up to three months. This recipe is actually a good one to freeze as lentils hold up well.
Favourite curries:
- Chickpea and Butternut Squash Curry
- Butter Chicken Curry
- Indian Spiced Meatballs in Curry Sauce
- Chicken Korma
Nepalese Red Lentil Dahl
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
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 225 g /1 cup red lentils
- 750 ml /3 cups water
- 1/2-1 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Unsure what I did wrong but turned out bland. I didn’t use ghee I wonder if that makes a difference.
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.
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,
That’s amazing, Stephanie!! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Tastes of the world. Yum.
I think this recipe could turn Tyrannasuarus Rex into a herbivore.
Thank you for sharing.
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!” 😀
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
Such a lovely story to share, Dana! Thank you!
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.
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.
Hi Amy, I leave it uncovered for some of the liquid to reduce. Thank you for visiting and cooking from my blog.
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.
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.
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.
That is the best review ever! Thanks so much, Curtis! I wish I could see Nepal for myself!