Lentils cooked with kale, tomato and spices. This humble Kale Tomato Dal is comfort food at it's best! Vegan and gluten-free.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 25 minutes
  • Total time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Entree, Vegetarian
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

to pressure cook

  • 1/2 cup chana dal (also known as split garbanzo beans, soaked for 15-20 minutes)
  • 1/2 cup toor dal (also known as split pigeon peas lentil, soaked for 15-20 minutes)
  • 3 cups water
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • salt (to taste)

for tempering

  • 2 teaspoons oil (I used vegetable oil)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 4 garlic cloves (chopped)
  • 2 green chili (chopped)
  • 6-7 curry leaves
  • 2 medium tomatoes (chopped)
  • 1.5 cups chopped kale
  • 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • garam masala (pinch, to sprinkle)
  • salt (to taste)

Method

  1. Pressure cook both the dals with water, turmeric powder and dal till they are soft and cooked. I cooked on high heat for 4 whistles and then set the heat to low and cook for additional 10-12 minutes.You may also do this on a stove top if you don't have a pressure cooker. Set aside.
  2. Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add cumin seeds and let them crackle.
  3. Add chopped garlic, curry leaves and chopped green chili. Saute till the garlic starts turning light golden in color.
  4. Next add in the chopped tomatoes and salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes, do not over-cook the tomatoes here.
  5. Transfer the cooked dal to the pan and also add the chopped kale.
  6. Cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. You may add more water if you want a thinner consistency of dal at this point.
  7. Remove cover from pan, add lemon juice and sprinkle garam masala on top.
  8. Serve the kale tomato dal hot with plain 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.