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This easy yellow dal recipe makes a savory, well-spiced dinner that’s perfect for any night of the week. Made with yellow lentils, fresh ginger, turmeric, coriander, and cumin, this mild dal recipe is one the whole family will love.
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Why You’ll Love this Easy Yellow Dal Recipe!
This easy dinner meal cooks up on the stovetop for a satisfying weeknight meal when time is tight. But it’s also tasty enough to impress for special occasions. It relies on pantry staples and requires only 40 minutes, most of which is hands off.
Even better, this yellow lentil dal recipe freezes and reheats well, for a great meal prep meal! And it tastes even better when served the second time. Plus, the mild flavor of this Indian dal makes it enjoyable by kids of all ages! This flavorful recipe is a double-win because dried pulses are so budget-friendly.
If you love this yellow dal recipe, try my Indian-spiced butternut squash and curried cauliflower and potatoes.
What is Dal?
Dal is an Indian dish made with lentils or other pulses such as split peas, chickpeas, and more. In most preparations, the pulses are cooked in water and seasoned with a variety of spices, tomatoes, and onions.
Dals come in mild and spicy varieties and you can easily adjust the seasonings to your own tastes.
Sometimes, they are pureed and are usually served as a side dish. Although they also make delicious main dishes for vegetarians and vegans. They are great served with cooked rice or naan bread.
Ingredients for Yellow Lentil Dal Recipe
Making lentil yellow dal takes a handful of simple ingredients you can easily find at most grocery stores, if you don’t already have them in the pantry.
- Vegetable oil: Your favorite healthy vegetable oil for cooking works. Just try to choose one with a neutral flavor.
- Yellow onion: Perfect for cooking but you can also use white onions or red onions.
- Garlic and ginger: These aromatics provide the best flavor when you use fresh. Dry or powdered simply doesn’t provide the same taste to the dish.
- Coriander, cumin, and turmeric: This trio of dried spices is common for making dal. For best flavor, make sure your spices are fresh (less than six months old). If they are on the older side, you can heat them in a skillet for a minute or two to reinvigorate their flavor.
- Yellow lentils: Yellow lentils are actually mung beans with their green peel removed and the lentil split in half. They may also be called moong dal. You can find these from online stores and other specialty markets if they aren’t in your local grocery store.
- Veggie broth: Cooking yellow lentil curry in vegetable broth gives the dish more flavor.
- Cilantro: Optional, but a sprinkle over the top of the final dish adds flavor and a splash of color.
- Cooked rice: You can serve Dal the traditional way, over cooked rice. I suggest basmati rice which cooks up light and fluffy or your favorite variety of brown rice.
How To Make Yellow Dal
Step 1: First, heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chopped onions and sauté until the onions become tender and translucent.
Step 2: Next add the garlic, ginger, and spices and cook briefly for about 30 seconds. Meanwhile, stir frequently so nothing burns.
Step 3: Add the lentils and broth to the pan. Then, cover with a lid, reduce the heat and cook until the lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. While the dish is cooking, stirring frequently.
Step 4: Finally, serve yellow lentil dal over rice with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro.
Toni’s Recipe Tips
- Fresh spices: Spices lose their flavor when they sit around. Toast them in a pan for 2 minutes prior to cooking with them if they are older and seem less fragrant.
- Serving: Serve your yellow lentil dal with cooked rice or fresh fluffy naan bread to scoop up the bites.
- Meal prep: Yellow dal freezes great! So consider making a double batch and freezing one for an easy weeknight meal later on.
FAQs for Yellow Dal Recipe
Yellow lentils are delicate with a mild flavor so when cooked, they really pick up the flavors of the spices in the dish. My healthy yellow dal recipe uses aromatics and a trio of spices to create a dish that’s full of the warming flavors of curry, turmeric, ginger, and cumin.
Yellow lentils are split and peeled mung beans. Note that yellow split peas are not the same thing. Yellow lentils cook up into a creamy dish without needing any additional pureeing for that texture.
Variations for Dal
- Other Pulses and Legumes: If you don’t have yellow lentils you can use whole mung beans instead. Although you may need to increase the cooking time. Another easy swap is to use red lentils which will cook more quickly than yellow. Other legumes such as chickpeas, green split peas and other types of lentils will work too, just be sure to adjust the cooking time for each variety.
- Spicy: Add red chili powder along with the other spices to quickly sauté before adding the lentils and liquid. Or you can opt to add them at the end for a slightly more intense spiciness.
Serving Suggestions
- Rice: Dal goes great with rice, especially basmati or a nutty brown rice.
- Other Grains: If you want to switch out rice, try other grains like quinoa or farro instead!
- Bread: Serve alongside or scoop with some vegan naan.
- Salad: Serve with a fresh green salad, a Fattoush salad, or a Panzanella salad.
- Main: Make the meal even more filling with your favorite meat alternative, like tempeh kabobs.
- Veggies: Add your favorite roasted or sauteed veggie to the side. I love this curry roasted broccoli or this Indian inspired butternut squash.
More Easy Vegan Dinners
Vegan Dinners
Perfect Potato and Pea Coconut Curry
Vegan Dinners
Easy Spinach Polenta Pie
Vegan Lunches
Veggie Brown Rice Stir Fry
Vegan Dinners
Easy Mushroom Red Lentil Meatballs
If you tried this Easy Yellow Dal recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
If you’re loving my recipes and would like a more comprehensive resource, check out my cookbooks!
Easy Yellow Dal Recipe
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Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 9 garlic cloves minced
- 1 Tablespoon of grated fresh ginger
- ½ Tablespoon of coriander
- ½ Tablespoon of cumin
- 2 teaspoons of turmeric
- 1 ½ cups of yellow lentils
- 4 cups of veggie broth
- Cooked rice, for serving optional
- Cilantro for garnish optional
Instructions
- In a large pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the onions and saute until the onions become tender and translucent.
- Add garlic, ginger, and spices and cool for 30 seconds, making sure nothing burns.
- Add lentils and broth and cook covered until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Serve over rice.
Notes
- Fresh spices: Spices lose their flavor when they sit around. Toast them in a pan for 2 minutes prior to cooking with them if they are older and seem less fragrant.
- Serving: Serve your yellow lentil dal with cooked rice or fresh fluffy naan bread to scoop up the bites.
- Meal prep: Yellow dal freezes great! So consider making a double batch and freezing one for an easy weeknight meal later on.
This is very easy to make and comes together quickly, which is great. I added some salt and curry powder because after 30 minutes of simmering all the ingredients, the lentils tasted fairly bland. I let the mixture cook for another 15 minutes, and served it with rice and cilantro. Delicious.
I bet it was extra delicious! 🙂
Hi is it made with Channa Dahl or Mung Dahl? (both are yellow lentils) thanks
Hi! Either should work for this recipe 🙂 Enjoy!
Can this be made in large batches and frozen? Tx.
This yellow lentil recipe freezes and reheats great! It tastes even better when served the second time!
I love this simple recipe. I sometimes add a small amount of tomato product (e.g., paste, sauce, or once, V8), or blend in a bag of frozen butternut squash for an added vegetable in the base.
That sounds like an amazing addition!
I like this recipe but I can’t find a reference to ‘veggie broth’ on your site yet this is a main ingredient. More detail please.
Hi! You can buy veggie broth from the store or you can make your own by using a vegan bouillon cube and mix it with water 🙂
Perfection! My little one also enjoyed it.
Aw, that’s awesome that he enjoyed this dal also! So delicious!
Simple and delicious dinner! Everyone in the house loves this dish!
Gotta love a simple dinner idea! So glad you and the fam enjoyed it!
Such a comforting dish to have on a cool night. It’s also great for leftovers. Superb!
Agreed! So comforting and delicious!
What a great dinner idea!
Definitely a yummy dinner option to cozy up too!
I love Daal is definitely a comfort meal for me! I love to add curry chickpeas on the side with rice. Interesting to see a different way of making it, compared to how I learned. Love to try out this variation.
It’s definitely a comfort meal! So so good!
I’ve been on a lentil craze lately and this really hit the spot. So good!