Dal

Simple doesn’t mean small. Sometimes it means sacred.

Dal

A warm, spiced lentil stew that stretches across centuries and continents, dal is more than just food—it’s sustenance, ritual, and remembrance. Every region has its version, every family its secret. This one is mine: grounded in tradition, touched by fire, and made to feed both body and soul.

Ingredients

  • 8 cups water
  • 3tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 onion sliced
  • ½ tsp garam masala
  • ½ tsp curry powder
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • ¼ tsp ground cumin
  • 1 ¼ tsp salt
  • 1.5 cup mung beans or lentils of your choice
  • 5 garlic cloves – crushed
  • 1 chili pepper whole or 1 tsp chili flakes – you can also use a whole habanero
  • For Tempering
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
  • 1 Clove garlic thinly sliced
  • Handful Spinach leaves – optional
  • Cilantro for garnish – optional


How The Alchemy Happens

In a large saucepan heat the oil.
Add onions and cook until translucent.
Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add garam masala, curry powder, turmeric and cumin. cook about 1 minute.
Add water and the rest of the ingredients.
Bring to a rapid boil.

Boil lentils for 45 minutes until peas are soft to the touch. Blend with immersion blender or use (dhal ghutney) swizzle stick to achieve a smooth texture. Return to a slow boil for another 15-20 minutes until dhal gets slightly thick. Turn heat off when you have reached your desired texture.

In a metal ladle or very small pot, heat oil and fry sliced garlic and geera until they become slightly burnt. Immediately add to dhal, being careful to cover the pot as you add the garlic/geera mixture as the hot oil will splatter since it is being combined with the water-based dal. Add the spinach leaves. Done!

🔙 Back to the Kitchen

We carry our ancestors in our spices, our stories in the steam.