Sweet Potato Red Lentil Dal With Tadka
A smooth, thick yellow orange dal with red lentils cooked down completely and half inch sweet potato cubes, finished with black mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves bloomed in hot ghee.
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
For the Dal
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 large yellow onion finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup red lentils rinsed until the water runs clear
- 15 ounce can diced tomatoes with juices
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 12 ounces sweet potatoes peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons fine salt
- ½ lemon juiced
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
For the Tempering
- 2 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 1 dried red chili
- 12 fresh curry leaves
Instructions
Make the Dal
- Rinse the red lentils in cold water 3 or 4 times, until the water runs nearly clear.
- Heat the coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion 7 minutes, until soft, then add the garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute more.
- Add the ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cayenne and stir for 60 seconds.
- Add the rinsed lentils, the tomatoes with their juices, the broth, and the sweet potato cubes. Bring to a simmer.
- Simmer 20 to 25 minutes, stirring the bottom every few minutes, until the lentils have lost their shape entirely and the base is smooth. The sweet potato should be tender and still cubed. Stir in the salt.
- Stir in the coconut milk and simmer gently 8 minutes, until creamy and pale yellow orange. Loosen with a splash of water if needed.
Make the Tempering
- Heat the ghee in a small pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the black mustard seeds and wait for them to pop, about 30 seconds. Stand back, they jump.
- Add the cumin seeds and the dried chili for 15 seconds, then the curry leaves for another 10 to 15 seconds, until they crackle and go glossy.
- Pour the tempering over the dal immediately. Stir about half of it in and leave the rest on the surface. Squeeze in the lemon juice and scatter the cilantro on top.
Notes
- The tempering is the dish: without it you have a good lentil soup, not dal. It takes 90 seconds.
- Red lentils only: brown and green lentils hold their shape and will not break down into a smooth base.
- Curry leaves: buy them fresh at an Indian grocer and freeze what you do not use. There is no real substitute, so leave them out rather than swapping in bay leaf.
- Vegan: use coconut oil in place of the ghee.
- Storage: keeps 5 days refrigerated and freezes 3 months. It sets solid when cold, so loosen it with water when reheating, and make a fresh tempering over leftovers.