French Lentil Dahl

I quickly wanted to post this very simple weeknight recipe for a very nutritious and delicious dahl made with French lentils. I love cooking with French Puy Lentils, because they cook up easily and have a great, peppery taste.

I used mustard to spice up these lentils. While mustard is used often enough in Indian cooking, I used it a little differently here than I usually do: I ground it up before adding it.

Mustard adds a spicy, almost slightly sour punch to the curry, and I couldn't have been happier.The addition of spinach makes this curry even healthier.

Feel free to substitute other greens, including watercress.

Here's the recipe. Enjoy, everyone!

More vegan dal recipes

• Cauliflower Dal with Ginger
• Spinach Kootu or Keerai Kootu
• Zucchini Kootu
• Black-Eyed Peas Dal
• Usal (Sprouted Beans Curry)

French Lentil Dal

French Lentils Spiked with Mustard

A peppery, delicious and simple dahl or dal made with French lentils

5 from 4 votes

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Course: Dal

Cuisine: Indian fusion

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: French Lentil Dal

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 176kcal

Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes

Ingredients 

• ▢ 1 cup puy lentils (can substitute with whole green lentils or Masoor)
• ▢ 12 oz spinach (thaw if using frozen spinach)
• ▢ 1 onion (thinly sliced)
• ▢ 4-5 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
• ▢ 1 large tomato (diced)
• ▢ 2 tsp black mustard seeds (ground into a powder in a food processor of coffee grinder)
• ▢ 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• ▢ 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ▢ 1 tsp cayenne
• ▢ ½ tsp turmeric (optional)

Instructions

• Cover the lentils with water, bring to a boil, cover with a lid and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 1 hour. I do this in a pressure cooker, but you can do this on the stove-top or in the microwave.
• Heat the oil in a saucepan.
• Add the cumin seeds and, when they sputter, add the sliced onions.
• Saute the onions until translucent, then add the garlic. Stir-fry for another minute.
• Add the spinach and saute for another 3-4 minutes. You want the spinach to have completely thawed before adding the remaining ingredients.
• Add tomatoes, chilli powder, turmeric and mustard-seed powder. Stir together for about a minute.
• Add the lentils-spinach mixture and stir in.
• Add salt to taste. Bring the curry to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for five minutes.
• Serve hot with rice or chapatis.

Nutrition

Calories: 176kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Potassium: 447mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 5713IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 4mg

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Love this puy lentils dal? Check out more vegan Indian recipes at Holy Cow Vegan!