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Spiced Dal with Cilantro Yogurt

June 6, 2014 by jessfuel 5 Comments

Spiced Lentil Dal with Cilantro Yogurt

I used to think I hated Indian food and curry. Then I slowly grew accustomed to curries via Thai food, and I was eventually brave enough to try Indian food again. Guess what? I liked it! Though I will admit there are still some Indian flavors that are not my favorite, I’ve definitely found a bunch that I really enjoy.

I’ve never had Dal (an Indian lentil dish) at a restaurant but I love lentils, so when I saw this recipe in a magazine I thought it was worth a go! The original recipe called for only 1/2 tsp curry powder which I thought was WAY too little (or maybe my curry powder is just really weak?). I ended up increasing it by a lot– to 1 tbsp, which was definitely not too much. I used yellow madras curry powder. If you use something different, taste as you go.

The end result was a super healthy and tasty dish. I thought it could use a little more spice, so I topped it with a little Sriracha, but next time I’ll probably add some more cayenne or try a different (spicier) curry variety!

Spiced Lentil Dal with Cilantro Yogurt

Spiced Dal with Cilantro Yogurt

(adapted from Real Simple)

serves 4

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 large carrots, diced
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 cups dried red lentils
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • Salt & pepper, to taste
  • Juice of 1 lemon, plus lemon wedges for serving
  • 1 cup basmati rice (I used brown basmati), cooked according to package directions
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
  • Naan bread, for serving (optional but highly recommended)

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the carrots, onion, curry powder, cayenne and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies soften, about 10 minutes.

Add the lentils, water and veggie stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are very tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

In a bowl, combine yogurt and cilantro. Add salt & pepper, to taste.

To serve, top the rice with the lentils, yogurt and a sprinkle of cilantro. Serve with lemon wedges and warm naan bread!

Spiced Lentil Dal with Cilantro Yogurt

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Filed Under: Meatless Tagged With: curry, lentils, vegetarian

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Comments

  1. Emily aka The Three Bite Rule says

    June 6, 2014 at 3:00 pm

    Yum! I love Indian! I didn’t love sushi when you lived here and you didn’t love Indian. Now we’re even, yet can’t eat either of these things with each other!

    Reply
  2. Denise | Sweet Peas & Saffron says

    June 6, 2014 at 10:07 pm

    I loooove dal, I don’t know what it is about pureed lentils, but sign me up (I’m not even joking)! Your dal looks amazing, and not too hard to whip up!

    Reply
  3. Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says

    June 8, 2014 at 10:45 am

    I didn’t have indian food until I was in my 20’s, and I am obsessed! I don’t know what took me so long to catch on to it. This dal sounds delicious!

    Reply
  4. Amy says

    June 9, 2014 at 6:56 am

    I love how simple this looks! (And vegetarian! Woot!) I got into Indian food when my brother became a waiter at an Indian restaurant. I might not have ever tried it if he wasn’t there to help me figure out what to order. I’ve never tried cooking it myself, though.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Jalapeño Cornbread Poppers (High Altitude Baking) | The Wimpy Vegetarian says:
    June 22, 2014 at 10:26 pm

    […] her fresh voice. Some recipes that caught my eye were Springtime Vegetable Skillet Baked Ziti , Spiced Dal with Cilantro Yogurt, Orange Sage and Beer Biscuits, and at the top of my list: Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies. […]

    Reply

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ABOUT JESS

Jess is a home cook, foodie, and mom to two girls. She grew up in Boston and now lives in Virginia. She loves to blog, travel, read, and write. She's usually chasing kids around, but slowly starting to get back to blogging! Read More…

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