Washed Lentils
Submitted by cackie
Simple Indian dahl with lentils, garlic, green chili, and mustard seeds finished with a sizzling cumin-ghee tadka. Vegetarian comfort food in one pot.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
40 minREADY
1 hrsDahl is the soul of Indian home cooking, and this version keeps things beautifully simple.
Lentils simmer with garlic, green chili, and black mustard seeds until they break down into a thick, earthy porridge. Right before serving, a tadka of cumin seeds crackled in hot ghee gets poured on top, sending up that unmistakable aroma of toasted spices hitting warm lentils.
Serve it over steamed basmati rice or scoop it up with warm naan. Either way, it’s the kind of meal that costs almost nothing and feeds the soul.
Kitchen Tips
- Wash the lentils in several changes of water until the water runs clear. This removes starch and any grit.
- The tadka (tempered spice topping) should sizzle and pop when the cumin seeds hit the hot ghee. If it’s silent, the ghee isn’t hot enough.
- Adjust the green chili to your heat tolerance. Remove the seeds for milder heat, or add a second chili if you like it fiery.
- Leftover dahl thickens in the fridge. Thin it with a splash of water when reheating.
Ingredients
Directions
Wash lentils thoroughly.
Place in pot with the water and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Cook about 10 minutes. Stir in salt, garlic, chili and mustard.
Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes until lentils are soft.
In a skillet, heat the ghee and toss in the cumin seeds and chili powder.
Top cooked dahl just before serving with ghee mixture.
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