Red Lentil Tarka Dahl (Indian Lentil Curry)

By MelanieAnn

Ingredients

• Tarka Tempering:
• 1 cup red lentils (split)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 large tomatoes, diced (or 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 – 3/4 tsp Herbamare or salt to taste
• 3 cups of water or vegetable broth (low sodium)
• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3/4 tsp roasted ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp roasted ground coriander
• 1 handful cilantro/coriander, chopped for garnish
• 2-3 inches of ginger peeled and sliced in long strips
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds (black)
• 1 dried red chilli, chopped (more if desired)
• 4-6 curry leaves *optional

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from lowfatveganchef.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Place lentils into a mesh metal strainer and rinse under cold water until water runs clear. *To cook your lentils faster you can soak in warm water while you prep the rest of your vegetables.

2. Heat a medium saucepan or wok over medium heat and add the onions, garlic and turmeric. Sprinkle a little salt on the onions to get them to sweat. Saute for 2-3 minutes and then add the tomatoes and continue cooking until the tomatoes are soft.

3. Add drained lentils and 3 cups of water or vegetable broth. Stir and bring to a boil uncovered. Turn heat down to medium low and and cover with a vented lid (or leave lid cracked to let steam escape) cook for 20-30 minutes until the lentils are soft and to desired tenderness.

4. In another pan, add a little water and fry the slices of ginger, chilies and curry leaves. Stir the ginger. When the water dissipates, add the mustard seeds and toast until they pop. Then add the cumin seeds and toast for a minute or two.

5. Add the tarka seasonings, lemon juice, cumin and coriander powder to the dal and stir in. Add Herbamare or salt to taste and adjust seasonings if desired.

6. Serve and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Additional Tips:

If you like you can use different lentils, but keep in mind that whole lentils will take longer to cook, so you may need to cook this dal for around an hour until they are soft.