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dahl in a steel saucepan and wooden spoon in it

Red Lentil Dahl With Coconut Milk And Spinach

This red lentil dahl with coconut milk and spinach is a super simple dish that you can whip up together in thirty minutes. It’s packed with spice, fragrance and creaminess from the coconut milk. It’s also vegan and vegetarian friendly and packed with lots of protein. Pair this with rice or roti and serve up for meal prep or an excellent family meal.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4 people
Calories 304 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Tadhka pan But please note that this is optional and you can absolutely temper your spices in a saucepan or a small fry pan.
  • 1 medium sized saucepan dahl is cooked best in a saucepan

Ingredients
  

Dhal ingredients

  • 1 cup red lentils
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1 ½ cup water Please note that you will probably adjust these measurements to get the dahl to your preferred consistency.
  • 2 handfuls spinach
  • 1 ½ tbsp tomato paste Note that this should diluted in a splash of water
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp salt but adjust this according to your liking.
  • 1 tsp onion powder this is optional, but highly recommended and a great addition.

Aromatics

  • 1 bark cinnamon
  • 1 half bayleaf

Tadhka ingredients (for tempering the spices)

  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 3 dried chillies if you have big dried chillies then just use one.
  • 1 half red onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp chilli powder

Instructions
 

Preparation

  • Add your red lentils to a bowl, give a thorough wash and drain the water. Repeat this process a few times until the water of your lentils runs clear.
    Also clean your two handfuls of spinach and place both of these bowls to the side.
    Finely chop both half of an onion and some garlic.

Cooking the dahl

  • In a saucepan (I used a small saucepan), add in all of your washed lentils with your coconut milk and water. Add in all of your aromatics, spices, salt, tomato paste and give that all a very good stir.
    Leave that to simmer on a low heat. Don't worry about having added too much liquid, the lentils expand and cook over time. I cooked mine for around fifteen to twenty minutes.
  • Once the lentils have got soft and the dahl has started to come together, add in all of your spinach. Cook until you get to your desired consistency and place to the side.

Tadhka

  • In a tadhka pan, saucepan or small frypan add in around two tablespoons of oil or ghee and all of the seeds (fennel, cumin and mustard seeds.
    Allow these to start popping and become fragrant and now add in all of your chopped onions and garlic.
    Once those have browned, add in your dried chillis, allow them to become a darker red (but not black), and then pour this entire oil mixture over dhall and mix in.

Notes

the nutritional information is an estimate automatically calculated using the WPRM recipe maker and I am not responsible for its veracity.

Nutrition

Calories: 304kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 14gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 675mgPotassium: 801mgFiber: 16gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1940IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 89mgIron: 7mg
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