Daal Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
• 1 cup diced yellow onion (1 medium onion)
• 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic (4 cloves)
• 2 teaspoons finely minced ginger
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon yellow curry powder
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup red lentils (see note 1)
• 1-1/2 cups vegetable stock (I love Swanson)
• 1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk (see note 2)
• Cooked basmati rice (for serving, see note 3)
• Serving suggestions (see note 4)

Instructions

1. 1

   Combine: Add melted coconut oil to a large pot over medium heat. Add in diced onion and sauté, stirring frequently, until golden, 6–8 minutes. Add in garlic, ginger, tomato paste, seasonings, and salt and pepper to taste (I add 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper). Add optional 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper here if you like some heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until very fragrant and tomato paste begins to darken, 3–4 minutes. Reduce heat or add a tiny splash of water if needed—nothing should be burning; we are looking for everything to get very fragrant.

2. 2

   Simmer: Pour in vegetable stock and scrape the bottom of the pan. Rinse lentils in a fine-mesh sieve under cold water until water runs clear. Add lentils and the coconut milk. Stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and gently simmer, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom until lentils are tender to desired preference, 25–35 minutes (see note 5).

3. 3

   Finish: Remove from heat. Add in 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest and 2 tablespoons lemon juice (if using). Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt if needed. Serve over rice garnished with fresh cilantro and toasted coconut flakes if desired. Enjoy immediately!