This easy Lentil Dahl with fire roasted tomatoes, coconut milk and spices makes the perfect comforting dish! Serve it over your favorite grain with a big squeeze of lime juice for max flavor. Bonus - it saves really well too!
I've said it before, but cooking for Poppy is hands down my favorite thing to do! Exposing her to different flavors, spices and cuisines is truly #1 on my list of things that bring me joy. Most recently, we've been loving Dahl.
Dahl comes from the Sanskrit word that means “to split”, and is a collective term for pulses like lentils and peas etc. Most commonly, pulses are slow-simmered with various aromatics that is known as dahl or dal. The recipe below is a flavorful stew like dish that we've obsessed with in our house. We serve it over rice or quinoa, a big squeeze of lime and some fresh herbs. It's fantastic for both toddlers and adults!
If you love this dahl and using lentils, my curry lentil soup is another one of our go-to recipes.
Let's talk about to make Dahl:
- I used red lentils for this recipe but truly any lentil is going to be great. It will all just have a slightly different color!
- The coconut oil with the onion, ginger and garlic is the base of so much flavor!
- Curry powder isn't traditionally spicy, so if you're opposed to spice, don't worry! If you want to amp up the spice, you could add a half teaspoon of red pepper flakes to give it some kick.
- When it comes to coconut milk, go for the full fat can! It's thicker, has more flavor and it's my preference when it comes to making this recipe.
- Coconut milk is different than coconut water! The milk comes in a can in the pantry section of your grocery store.
If you want more incredible recipes that double as both toddler friendly and parent friendly, we've got you covered!
If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today
Dahl
Ingredients
For Dahl:
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger finely chopped
- 1 yellow onion thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 3 tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 ½ cups coconut milk
- ½ cup water
- 1 14.5-ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 cup red lentils
- kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
To Serve:
- fresh lemon or lime wedges
- cilantro
- cooked rice or quinoa
Instructions
- Heat a medium dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the coconut oil. Once hot, add the ginger, onion and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes until onions are starting to be translucent and fragrant. Add the ground turmeric, curry powder and paste and sauté for another 60 seconds to toast. Add the coconut milk, water, and the entire can of chopped tomatoes. Stir to combine. Add the lentils and cover the pot, reduce heat to medium and let the lentils cook for 20-25 minutes until soft.
- Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve over rice or quinoa with cilantro on top and lemon or lime juice depending on your preference.
Do I soak the lentils overnight first?
no need!
Hi Gaby! What curry paste and powder do you use? Mine came out too spicy for baby - whoops!
I have no idea which brand - I always decant into my spice jars!
hello! i don’t see when to add the curry paste. thanks!!
with the curry powder!