Sri Lankan Dal
Sri Lankan dal, daal, dahl or parippu – whichever name you call it by, it’s delicious, hearty and delicately spiced. Beautiful on its own or as a side dish, dal’s versatility makes it perfect comfort food any time of year.
Bright, creamy and vegan-friendly to boot, authentic Sri Lankan dal is one of my favourite curries of all time. Easily whipped up in 30 minutes or less, dal is a popular vegetarian side dish worldwide. It also happens to be one of the easiest vegan comfort foods you can make!
Dal lacks the sometimes-overwhelming spiciness of other traditional curries, making this healthy and delicious dish ideal for kids and adults alike. Adjust the chilli to your heat preference if cooking for small children. Dal is the perfect on-the-go dish as it comes together so quickly and requires supermarket staples that you likely have in the house already.
This creamy Sri Lankan curry is vegan, gluten-free, takes only 30 minutes to make and requires 15 ingredients. It’s absolutely delicious served with rice, coconut roti, on its own, or as an accompaniment to other Sri Lankan curries. What are you waiting for? Let’s get cooking!
If you try this recipe, let us know how it goes! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag your photo #theculinarycartel on Instagram so we can see what you come up with. To view our recipe
video on Instagram click here. Happy cooking!
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of lentils do I use to make dal?
Use red lentils or masoor dal in this recipe.
Why don’t we soak the lentils before cooking?
Red lentils require little to no soaking time and thus cook quickly, making them perfect for this Sri Lankan dal recipe.
What can I serve the Sri Lankan dal with?
The dal is delicious served alongside rice or Sri Lankan roti, and pairs well with any other Sri Lankan curries you might fancy.
Sri Lankan Dal
- Total Time: 30 Minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Sri Lankan dal, daal, dahl or parippu – whichever name you call it by, it’s delicious, hearty and delicately spiced. Beautiful on its own or as a side dish, dal’s versatility makes it perfect comfort food any time of year.
Ingredients
Tempered spice mix
- 1/2 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 stalk of fresh curry leaves
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 2 whole dried chillies
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- coconut oil, or neutral-flavoured oil such as canola
Dal
- 1 cup of lentils 200g
- 150 ml water, or enough to just cover the lentils
- 1/2 chopped red onion
- 2–3 cloves sliced garlic
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 stalk of fresh curry leaves
- 1/2 tsp of curry powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- few green chillis sliced
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 1/2 tin coconut milk
Instructions
Tempered spice mix
- Add 3 Tbsp coconut or any neutral oil to a pot. Add the sliced red onion, sliced garlic, turmeric and curry leaves, and cook until sticky and soft on medium heat- roughly 5-8 minutes.
- Add the dried whole chillies and cook for 2 minutes.
- Finally, add the mustard seeds and cook until they start to pop – about 2 minutes.
- Spoon the mixture into a bowl and set aside. You don’t need to clean the pan in between tempering the spices and cooking the dal.
Dal
- Wash the lentils well, then drain off the water and place them into a pot. Add 150ml water, or enough to cover the lentils. Add a little more water as needed, i.e. if the lentils are sticking to the bottom of the pot at all. To the lentils and water, add the diced red onion, 1 green chilli, garlic, curry powder, turmeric, cinnamon and curry leaves.
- Over medium heat, allow the lentils to cook until all of the water evaporates and the lentils are soft, between 10-15 minutes.
- Once the lentils are cooked, gradually add the coconut milk and simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes. Add salt to taste.
- Add 1/2-2/3 of the tempered spice and onion mixture into the curry and mix. Keep a small portion of the tempered spice mixture aside for serving to garnish the dal.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 20 Minutes
- Category: Mains
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Sri Lankan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 337.1kcal
- Sugar: 3.5g
- Sodium: 324.65mg
- Fat: 14.21g
- Saturated Fat: 11.6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.62g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 41.1g
- Fiber: 8.16g
- Protein: 15g
- Cholesterol: 0.22mg
