14 Reviews of Spicy Indian Dahl

From: Charishma Ramchandani

On May 28, 2003

This was delicious, healthy, nutritious, easily digestible, awesome and just simply "wonderful"! I made it for our dinner tonight as I wanted to surprise mom and dad with a Zaar recipe!). I did cut down "tremendously" on the quantity of fat, though, in this. Instead of using 12 tbsps(6oz.) of ghee/butter, I used Just ONE Tbsp. of regular oil in it(Ghee and butter are both too fatening and I'm back to counting cals!). Trust me, 1 tbsp. was more than sufficient!!! Moreover, I did use fresh ginger(peeled and grated). Honestly, I felt this should NOT be an optional ingredient, but one that's required. I did use 2 medium tomatoes as well(Tomatoes again are necessary if you want authentic Indian masoor dal). I used 3 cups of masoor dal and 6+1/2+3/4 cups of water(divided). The first 6 cups I added as for step number 3. The remaining water I added when I reached step number 11. What I particularly liked was the slightly crispy taste of the onions as I did not over-fry them. They were just soft and light brown as per the recipe. This dal was RIGHTLY SPICED- Not too much, nor too less. It was just perfect! I think now that I have suggested how I cut down on the oil(fat), nobody who wants to try this recipe need worry about any extra cals I had this with white bread while mom and dad relished it with hot chappatis. I will try it with Anu's Tangy lemon rice next time(that's another one of my favourite recipes). Together with this recipe, the dal and lemon rice will make a marriage in food heaven - this I can GUARANTEE! This is a WONDERFUL recipe and I really hope it gets many splendid reviews and is well received by all who try it. This will be a regular on our table- and that's Charishma's promise! A THOUSAND thanks to you for sharing this!

From: najwa

On Jul 13, 2003

This is a very easy and good recipe! Both my husband and I loved it .. I only used 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter and it was quite enough .. I added the optional tomatoes .. thanks Daydream for another winner

From: Chef #487696

On Oct 20, 2007

My husband and I have made this just over a dozen times in the past 3 months. It is an excellent recipe that seems to get better and better the more we make it! We usually serve it with Cauliflower Pilaf (from a recipe book, I hope to put it on Recipezaar soon), mango chutne, and a mix of cucumber, mint, & natural yoghurt. The tomato should be added in after the spices have been fried off, this brings a more intense flavour. Yum. An outstanding recipe!

From: Mary the Disturbed Stick Woman

On Aug 10, 2005

Yum. This was quick and easy — in fact, I got a little surprised at how quick it was and overcooked the lentils a bit. Next time I'll make sure to have everything prepped and ready to go before I start cooking. It was still very yummy, though. Spice mix is PERFECT — the aroma when the spices hit the pan was just great. I made it without tomatoes and it was just fine. I also used olive oil and not ghee, and cut the ginger in matchsticks rather than mincing it. I might cut down the coriander a bit next time, but it wasn't totally over the top. I used cayenne for the red chili pepper, and it gave just the right amount of heat: enough to warm, but not enough to take away from any of the flavor.

From: janicem

On Mar 2, 2007

I made this last night and it tasted GREAT! I also cooked in just a tablespoon of Olive Oil and it worked fine. It was not too hot, in fact I may add a little more chili next time I make it.

From: Chef #542840

On Aug 4, 2007

Very tasty and easy to prepare. Cooked a double batch (I did overcook the lentils) and topped the dahl and steamed rice with fresh diced tomatoe and spinach (a health concession). Great recipe, I will be cooking this dish again.

From: MA Blossom

On Jun 12, 2006

I liked this recipe. My family was a little wimpy about the spice level, but did enjoy what they ate. I used cayenne instead of red chili powder, one large onion that diced up to about 2 cups, and found the lentils ready in just under ten minutes. Also ran out of ground coriander at 1 1/2 tablespoons, but was very satisfied with the taste. Thank you, Daydream, for posting this.

From: Dr Jekyll

On Aug 23, 2007

Not what i expected. I guess the flavor is ok, but the consistency is not much like dahl i've had at restaurants. Modified the recipe a bit, used about half the onions and had to work with the local type of dahl (definitely not masoor, just standard brown lentils). I also added some garam masala at the end for that indian feel. I guess this dish requires tweaking and maybe more practice.

From: Mythak

On Sep 28, 2006

Delicious. It did take a while for my lentils to cook. I used a mixture of the red and the yellow lentils. I forgot the tomatoes and didn't have the cilantro. Unfortunately, I was out of fresh ginger and had to use powdered. My six-year old, husband and I still thought it was delicious. Next time I'd add more chili powder.

From: Gina*S

On Mar 8, 2009

I've been trying out various Indian recipes lately and decided to give Lentils another shot (I've only ever had the brown ones and only ever in soup and I didn't care for them). This dish is amazing! The blend of spices is just perfect and the heat is not over powering. I will definitely be making this one over and over again!