10-minute Vegan Dal with Basic Tomato Onion Sauce

A 10-minute vegan dal that’s delicious, nutritious and oh so easy.

The Basic Tomato Onion Sauce I shared with you last month has been such a lifesaver for me, I have been making it again and again so I can get a quick and delicious meal on the table within minutes after a grueling day at work. Today, I have for you a really easy vegan dal.

This recipe is as simple as they come. All you really need is a teaspoon of vegetable oil (I use avocado oil), mustard seeds and coriander leaves, besides the basic tomato onion sauce. It’s so easy and so delicious, you’ll want to make it all the time.

I use brown lentils, and I cooked them from scratch which took me longer than 10 minutes, but you can also find these in cans. You don’t have to use brown lentils. Use French puy lentils, pink lentils, yellow lentils, or just anything you have on hand or have a mind to eat. I’ve tried this recipe with many different lentils, and it’s worked each time.

If you aren’t familiar with the basic tomato onion sauce, this is a recipe I shared a couple of weeks back that I make in the Instant Pot and either refrigerate or freeze for longer periods, and pull out when I need to make a quick, nutritious meal. It’s truly a magical sauce. You can use it for recipes like Chana Masala, Aloo Palak, Methi Malai Paneer and much more, and every dish tastes completely different from the other — despite the same base — and mindblowingly delicious.

I’ve been so excited about it, I’ve been trying to share with you the different recipes I make with this sauce as I cook them up.

I hope you will make the sauce and try this amazing 10-minute Vegan Dal. If you do, be sure to let me know in the comments below, or by taking a photograph and tagging me @holycowvegan on Instagram.

Ciao.

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More recipes with the basic tomato onion sauce:

Instant Chana Masala

Methi Malai Paneer Tofu

Aloo Palak, a spinach and potato curry

More vegan dal recipes here.

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Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

10-minute Vegan Dal with Basic Tomato Onion Sauce

A 10-minute vegan dal that's delicious, nutritious and oh so easy. 

Prep Time2 mins

Cook Time8 mins

Total Time10 mins

Course: Main/Dal

Cuisine: gluten-free, Indian, nut-free, Soy-free, Vegan

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 103kcal

Author: Vaishali Honawar

Ingredients

• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 1/2 cups basic tomato onion sauce
• 2 15-oz cans brown lentils (about 3-4 cups cooked)
• 2 tbsp cilantro (minced)
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp grated coconut (optional)

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the mustard seeds and, when they sputter, add the cilantro and saute for 30 seconds.
• Add the tomato onion sauce and lentils and salt to taste. Let everything come to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for a couple of minutes, and turn off.
• Garnish with grated coconut, if using, and serve hot with wedges of lemon and rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 103kcal | Carbohydrates: 16.6g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 1.4g | Potassium: 316.5mg | Fiber: 6.3g | Sugar: 2.1g | Vitamin A: 1% | Vitamin C: 13% | Calcium: 2% | Iron: 14%