Coconut Red Lentil Dal

Name: Coconut Red Lentil Dal
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1.5 cups red lentils (masoor dal), rinsed; 1 onion, finely diced; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated; 1 tbsp tomato paste; 1.5 tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1/2 tsp ground coriander; 1 can (13.5 oz) full-fat coconut milk; 3 cups vegetable stock or water; 1 tsp salt, to taste; Juice of 1/2 lime; 2 tbsp coconut or neutral oil; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1/2 tsp mustard seeds; 2 dried red chiles; 10 fresh curry leaves (optional)

Original recipe · Serves 4 · About 35 minutes

Red lentils are the fastest path to a satisfying, protein-rich dinner: no soaking, and they collapse into a creamy pot in about 20 minutes. This version is vegan and built almost entirely from the pantry, then finished with a tadka — a quick sizzle of whole spices in hot oil poured over the top — which is the step that makes the whole bowl smell incredible.

⏱️ 35 minutes 🍽️ Serves 4 🌱 Vegan 🍲 One pot

Instructions

Start the base. In a pot, warm a tablespoon of oil and cook the onion over medium heat until soft and golden, 6–7 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute, then stir in the tomato paste and ground spices and cook another minute until fragrant.
Simmer the lentils. Add the rinsed lentils, coconut milk, and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered 18–22 minutes, stirring occasionally so nothing sticks, until the lentils break down and the dal is thick and creamy.
Season. Stir in the salt and lime juice. If it's thicker than you like, loosen with a splash of water; it should be spoonable, not stiff. Keep warm over low heat.
Make the tadka. In a small pan, heat the 2 tbsp oil until shimmering. Add the cumin and mustard seeds; when they pop (a few seconds), add the dried chiles and curry leaves and let sizzle 10 seconds. Stand back — it can spatter.
Finish. Pour the hot tadka over the dal and stir most of it in, leaving a little on top for show. Serve over rice or with warm flatbread.

What a tadka does

Blooming whole spices in hot fat pulls out aromatic compounds that water can't, then carries them across the whole dish. It's a five-minute step used across Indian cooking, and it transforms a plain pot of lentils into something that tastes layered and restaurant-worthy.

Add vegetables

Stir in a few big handfuls of spinach at the end until wilted, or add diced sweet potato or cauliflower with the lentils (you may need a little extra stock and a few more minutes). It's a forgiving, flexible pot.

Storage & reheating

Dal thickens as it sits and keeps 4–5 days in the fridge. Reheat with a splash of water or stock to bring it back to a creamy consistency. It freezes well for up to 3 months.

Explore more plant-based dinners in the recipe library, or read about spice technique in our cooking guides.