Dal Bukhara

Indian vegetarian comfort food - beluga lentils in creamy tomato curry from the Aarti Paarti Cookbook. Can be made dairy or dairy-free, vegan.

Prep time: PT10M

Cook time: PT50M

Total time: PT60M

Rating

5 stars (7 reviews)

Keywords

vegetarian recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon coriander seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 1-inch piece cassia or cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
2 green cardamom pods, seeds removed and pods discarded
2 dried chiles de árbol
2 teaspoons paprika
4 cups water, plus 3 cups hot water
1 cup black beluga lentils, picked over for pebbles and rinsed
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tablespoon ghee, unsalted butter or dairy-free butter substitute (use butter substitute to keep vegan)
1 whole yellow onion, finely diced (about 2 cups)
Kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons grated, peeled fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced
14.5 ounces diced fire-roasted tomatoes ((1 can))
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup heavy cream or full fat coconut milk (I used coconut milk to keep this dish dairy free/vegan)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, to garnish

Cuisine

Indian

Steps

To make the spice mix, warm a small skillet over medium heat. Add the coriander, cumin and fennel seeds, along with the cassia (or cinnamon), cloves, cardamom seeds and chiles. Toast the spices, stirring and shaking the pan frequently, for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Snap the dried chiles in half and shake the seeds into the trash.
Transfer the chiles and the rest of the toasted spices along with the paprika into a spice grinder. Grind to a fine powder.
To make the lentils, bring the 4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the rinsed lentils and return the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and put the lid on ajar. Cook the lentils for 10 to 12 minutes, until al dente. Drain and set aside.Meanwhile, warm the oil and ghee (or butter substitute) in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until just shimmering. Add the onion and season with a big pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until golden brown and just short of being caramelized, about 8 minutes.
Add the ginger and garlic to the pan and cook for 30 seconds (add a little water if they start to stick to the bottom of the pan). Add the diced tomatoes and spice mix. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes, until most of the water has evaporated and the entire mixture holds together as one mass, and even starts to stick to the bottom.Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a minute more, stirring often.
Add the lentils, the 3 cups hot water and 3/4 tsp kosher salt. Stir, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cover. Cook for 30 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Stir in the cream or coconut milk, taste for salt, and garnish with cilantro. Aarti suggests adding a pat of butter to "royal it up" even more!

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 355 kcal
Carbohydrates: 36 g
Protein: 14 g
Fat: 18 g
Saturated Fat: 8 g
Cholesterol: 9 mg
Sodium: 246 mg
Sugar: 3 g

Reviews

Jaime on 2019-07-19 (5 stars):
This was an absolutely sensational recipe! Thank you thank you thank you ! I did use a few short cuts with ground spices and already made lentils. But on the whole, this was utterly perfect!
Andrew on 2018-01-07 (5 stars):
One of my favorite dal dishes and this recipe is the best version I’ve found so far. Timings are a bit optimistic (esp if grinding spices with mortar & pestle), but we’ll worth the effort!
Dr. Cynthia on 2015-12-24 (5 stars):
Definitely a beautiful dish! As my husband is from that part of the world, dal is a frequent thing in our house. He is the one who taught me to cook Indian food and thus the final taste tester around here! However, as a physician, extreme health "nut", researcher and Paleo advocate, I must object to the use of any of the common vegetable oils, especially the butter substitutes. The Omega acid profiles of these are inflammatory, being way too high in omega 6 which the body does not like and which over time can be a problem. I know, I am a real geek but after my own health crisis I had to cover all bases! So those of you crazy enough to not use butter (grass fed of course), I would recommend coconut oil. Last but not least, this is Indian food so eat it with Basmati rice (if you eat rice) for cryin' out loud! Thanks for all your wonderful recipes!
Kendall on 2015-10-25 (5 stars):
Another five star recipe, Tori! I am partial to curry but usually make it with meat. This was fantastic! I will eat it as a main dish but my son will eat it as a side dish. I didn't have coriander or cumin seeds but did have them in ground form. I kept the ground spices out of the pan for fear I would gas myself and it worked out perfectly. I also didn't have chiles de arbol so used some dried jalapenos from my garden. I like the heat so only cleaned out 1/2 of the seeds. Another of your recipes will be added to my regular rotation. Thank you again! Kendall
Alicia Kelso on 2015-10-11 (5 stars):
I am just finished making this recipe and it is sooooo good! Tori, I just had Veggie Shorba (pretty much the same thing as your & Aarti's Dal Bukhara) at Sam's in Joshua Tree, California, yesterday. I haven't had Indian food in years and then you post this recipe today. You're psychic, I swear. I will make homemade Naan to go with it tomorrow. I used Rice Bran Oil, as it is the healthiest cooking oil available, has the highest smoke point of any oil (so great for sauteeing, frying or salad dressings even), plus it is less expensive than the other oils if you get it from gwsfoods.com. I'm growing certified organic Turmeric on my farm, so I used fresh rhizomes and probably quadrupled the amount, but it relieves my inflammation when I consume about an inch of Turmeric in my food or make a tea with that much in it. I cannot thank you enough for posting this recipe.
Susan Kellen on 2015-10-08 (5 stars):
I've made this recipe - it's fantastic!