Masoor Dal (Spiced Red Lentils)

I love this recipe and have been tweaking it to my liking. Here are my adjustments:

-add 2 tbsp coconut oil (in place of fresh coconut)
-use I ripe chopped tomato, if available
-use 1 tsp cayenne pepper, in place of Thai chili

Otherwise, it's fabulous!

Made this in my new instant pot pressure cooker. I should have cut a cup or two of liquid, but I let it boil down to thicken. 12 min under pressure.

Easy and good, but much, much better if you add about a half of can of coconut milk at the end. Also much better the next day.

Spicier and tastier than the Bittman version - the key is the tomatoes and sweet potatoes (though I used butternut squash which was also great).

Actually, the more typical approach for dal would be to leave out the spices until the very end, then heat a small amount of oil or ghee in a small, separate pan over medium heat. Add spices, let them sizzle for 30 seconds or so, being careful not to let them burn, then stir this mixture into the dal. (Many Indian recipes would also call for using whole cumin seeds rather than ground, in which case you should sizzle them first for about 15 seconds before adding the ground spices to the oil.)

Very tasty. I increased all spices by about 50% and substituted coconut milk for coconut pieces. (Note mistake in this recipe--should use 10 ounces of finely diced sweet potato, not "2 1/2 cups", as it says.)

Really easy and tasty. Cut turmeric to 1/2 tsp and water to 3 cups, augmented with Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base, served with brown rice and Trader Joe's Garlic Naan. Definitely a keeper. I love Nigella's recipes & NY Times Cooking!

Keep in mind dal thickens as it cools, so keep it a little loose. Made with spinach instead of sweet potatoes - doubled the fresh ginger and used fresh instead of powdered turmeric. Also added a hit of tomato paste at the end to freshen and thicken the liquid a bit.

Be sure to use red lentils...I've cooked with both red and brown/green. Red is so much better visually and texture wise. Don't be tempted to substitute.

Delicious! Was liberal with the spices, subbed chicken broth for water, and added half can coconut milk (as another reviewer suggested). Served with jasmine rice and dollop of greek yogurt.

It is my understanding that in recipes using a lot of spices, especially Indian recipes, it’s always best to add the spices to the warm oil first and cook a few minutes before adding other ingredients (i.e. onions etc.). Is there a reason why this recipe first softens the onions and sweet potatoes? Thank you

So I tweaked mine quite a bit but I was over the moon happy with the results! I used coconut oil, added a can of coconut milk and a 24 oz can of tomatoes. I had a small butternut squash that needed to be used so diced that along with the sweet potato and it’s just so delicious. This is going to be a staple at my house!

Did folks do anything special to prep the lentils? I found them difficult to digest and am wondering if I was supposed to boil or soak the lentils first? Thanks!

Nice basic recipe. Added Thai Red Chili paste, red chili flakes, additional ginger, a vegan boullion cube and cooked it down for a while longer on the stove top.

The result was an amazing and authentic Red Lentil Dahl.

I made it with canned lentils (brown), added extra ginger, some cinnamon, lime juice, bit of Splenda, and fresh curry leaves, left out the chilis and garlic .... wow.
Bagged it in 3 bags in the freezer, figured the carb count at 45 per bag, perfect for my diabetic diet. Next time, I'll use chana (yellow) dal which has a lower glycemic index, and sub some coconut milk for some of the water. Can't wait