Healthy, vegan, and perfect with rice or naan!
I used an adaptation of Kanchan Koya’s recipe, available in here
Ingredients:
Per 4-5 servings:
- 1 cup urad dal (whole black lentils)
- 1 small white onion
- 1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- pinch of chili powder (increase if you like spicier food)
- 6 oz tomato sauce
- 1.5 tablespoons butter (I used the vegan kind)
- salt, to taste
- cream or yogurt, as garnish (optional)
- cilantro (fresh or dried), as garnish (optional)
Instructions:
-
Soak the lentils for 6-12 hours (overnight is easiest - just make sure you put them in plenty of water)
-
Drain and rinse the lentils post-soak. Place in a pot with 3x as much water as lentils and set to medium-high heat. Once the water comes to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 60-70 minutes until lentils are completely tender, adding more water if necessary. Drain and set aside.
- Dice or mince the white onion and set aside.
- In a medium pot, heat the oil and add the cumin seeds. Let them sizzle briefly.
- Then, add the onion. Mix to combine and cook for a minute or two.
- Then, add the ginger, garam masala, and chili powder. Mix to combine and cook for a few minutes until the onions soften.
- Add the tomato sauce and cook for ~10 minutes.
- Add the lentils and mix to combine. Add salt simmer for 15-25 minutes. Add more water depending on your desired consistency. You can also use a hand blender to blend the stew a little bit, but not until completely smooth. Some chunks are good.
- Add the butter and stir, and adjust salt if needed.
- Garnish with yogurt/cream and cilantro, and serve with rice or naan! Garlic naan recipe (recommended) linked here