sweet potato & kale dal.
dal, an Indian lentil stew, is a cozy, filling dish perfect for loading up with veggies like sweet potatoes and kale.
Serves: 4 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes jump to recipe.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup moong dal lentils
1 small yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced
4 tablespoons tomato paste
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (15.5-ounce) can coconut milk
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
3 cups peeled and diced sweet potatoes (about 2 small potatoes)
4 cups vegetable broth or water
2 cups kale, roughly torn
Salt and pepper, to taste
RECIPE
Add lentils to a bowl and cover with water. Soak for 30 minutes, then drain.
Heat a thin layer of oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.
Add the tomato paste to the pot and stir well to combine. Cook until the paste is beginning to stick to the bottom of the pot, about 3-4 minutes.
Squeeze the lemon juice into the pot and stir, then add the diced tomatoes and coconut milk. Stir well to combine, then bring to a simmer.
Add the seasonings to the mixture, then add the sweet potatoes and softened lentils. Add 3 cups of broth and stir until lentils are covered and sweet potatoes are mostly submerged. Bring to a simmer.
Cook, covered, until potatoes are soft and stew is thickened, about 20 minutes. Once potatoes are soft, crush them with the back of a spoon and stir into the mixture. If the potatoes aren't soft enough to crush with a spoon, continue simmering until fully softened.
Add the remaining 1 cup of broth and stir to combine. If desired, add more broth or water to thin the dal further. Bring to a simmer, then add the kale and cook until bright green and wilted.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with naan and rice.
NOTES
Reheating instructions: The lentils will absorb any excess liquid overnight. To thin the dal after storing, stir in water or broth before reheating.
I typed out a whole story about how much I love Indian food and decided to delete it — why not just cut to the chase here? Dal is a stew made in Indian cuisine that involves split legumes like lentils. It can be super thick or kind of soupy, involve lots of vegetables or none, be creamy or a little brothy. Like any stew, there’s an expectation of what it should generally look and taste like, but each cook will make it their own.
To make it more clear: you wouldn’t order a dal expecting to see chicken tikka masala.
One thing that is certain is that all dals will be made with some type of legume. It’s most traditional to use moong dal, a split yellow lentil, but you could really use any lentil, bean, or pea. The benefit of using moong dal specifically is that the lentils respond to liquid in such a way that makes them soft and creamy. It gives you that beautiful texture that feels like a slow-simmered stew. In reality, this stew can be ready in 30 minutes.
Finding and using moong dal
While I do live in a city, Cleveland isn’t large and doesn’t really have the wealth of grocery options that places like Chicago or New York have. For example, my mom in Chicago goes to a store that sells 20 types of labne. Here, I can’t find a place that sells just one.
So, depending where you’re at, you might not have the easiest time finding moong dal specifically. Places you might want to try would be anywhere with bulk grains (the kind you weigh out of plastic containers), health food places like Whole Foods, or any sort of international market that may sell Indian ingredients. Places that specialize in health or grains will prioritize lentils.
I was striking out, so I just ordered from Amazon.
If you just want to make dal with legumes you have on hand, you could use red lentils or even green lentils. Red will offer the closest texture.
Soak the lentils before using — you’ll notice they absorb the water and soften slightly. This will make cooking them a breeze. You can do this while chopping the vegetables and getting everything sautéed. If you forget to soak, cook as usual and plan for extra water and extra cooktime.
Swaps, additions, and add-ons
This stew is vegan and gluten free already, so it’s much more likely that you’re seeking to add on to the dal than to swap. You can make it veggie-heavy and throw in bell peppers, spinach, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, or eggplant. You could make this even more protein-rich by adding chickpeas or cashews.
If you’re missing meat, I’d recommend using this as a side dish to a beef stew or grilled chicken instead of trying to work meat into the dal. If you insist on making a one-pot omnivore meal out of it, though, try cubed pieces of chicken.
Enjoy.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes
yellow split lentils, aka moong dal
this is about what the lentils look like after soaking for 30 minutes.
adding the potatoes and lentils.
after mashing the potatoes, the dal will be very thick. add broth or water to return it to a more brothy texture.
