Warm, richly spiced, and built for a satisfying meal, Golden Red Lentil Dal (Turmeric Spinach Dal) is a vegan, vegetarian Indian soup made with red lentils, oil, and mustard seeds in about 30 minutes. The recipe lays out the ingredients and each cooking step clearly, so you can adjust seasoning, texture, and serving size for your own kitchen.
Recipe Snapshot
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 20 minutes
- Total time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup red lentils (washed and drained well)
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1/3 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/3 teaspoon nigella seeds
- 1/8 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
- 1/8 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon or more ground turmeric
- 1/3 teaspoon or more cayenne
- 2/3 teaspoon salt or more
- 2 1/2 cups of water
- 1 cup chopped or baby spinach (or quick cooking baby greens)
Method
- Wash the lentils and drain and keep aside.
- Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the whole spices in the order, Mix and let them start to pop.
- Add turmeric and cayenne and give it a quick mix. Add the washed and drained lentils, mix and roast for a minute. At this point, you can add in finely chopped veggies of choice.
- Add water and salt and mix in. Partially cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until lentils are cooked to preference.
- Fold in the spinach or baby greens. Taste and adjust salt and heat. Simmer for 2 minutes or so. You can also add in 1 chopped tomato at this point or some non-dairy yogurt to make your red lentil dal creamy. Serve as soup or over rice.
Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note
Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.
