Garlicky Red Lentil. Creamy red lentils with a fragrant garlic tempering. This dish is simple, delicious, and really delectable. Additionally, this red lentil dal is a bowl of bliss to have with plain white rice, while also being vegan and kid-approved.
Growing up, red lentil was my favorite dal. I loved the fragrance of garlic that made this dal delicious. My mom is amazing at cooking and most of the Indian dishes whether they are simple or extravagant, are just her forte. She used to make this simple dal so well that as kids, we loved it. Now, I am keeping the tradition alive and making it for my family.
Folks, if you are looking for a perfect vegan dinner or lunch with just a couple of staple fridges and pantry staples, then this recipe is for you.
It's the perfect meal for a beginner cook or a person who has just started their vegan journey. It's nutritious, healthy, and just perfect.
What Are Red Lentils?
Red Lentils are quick-cooking lentils. They have a beautiful red color. My kids always ask if these lentils are "red" why they look yellow when you cook them. Trust me, this yellow is their natural color after cooking and if you see anything other than that, that is because of too many spices or tomato puree.
Additionally, lentils are a powerhouse of protein. A vegetarian and vegan diet always has a big part of lentils, and there are several varieties and types.
Their taste, texture, and color all are different. As a mostly vegetarian family, our daily diet consists mainly of lentils. They are easy to find, not expensive, and simple to cook.
What to Serve with Garlicky Red Lentil-
I love to have any type of plain rice with this dal. Serve some Potato Fry (Aloo Bhujia) or Cabbage and Carrot Stir-fry with Green Peas with that and the combination will be finger-licking good.
Sometimes, I like to serve Carrot & Peas Pulao and creamy rich Dum Aloo/Dum Alu with that as well. You can also make a complete meal by serving some raita, chutney, and Asian Cucumber Salad. Then, it will be a meal to serve on any day, at any time.
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Garlicky Red Lentil
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Red Lentil
- 3.5 Cups Water
- ½ Tsp Turmeric Powder
- Salt, according to the taste
- 1 Medium Tomato, chopped
For Tempering
- 1.5 Tbsp Oil or Ghee
- ½ Tsp Cumin Seeds
- 2 Dry Red Chili
- Pinch of asafoetida
- 4 Big Cloves of finely chopped garlic
- 1 Tbsp Fresh chopped Cilantro
Instructions
- Turn the saute button of Instant pot on.
- Add washed red lentil, water, salt, turmeric powder and chopped tomatoes to the pot.
- Stir everything around and make sure lentils are covered with water.
- Close the lid and cook it on high pressure for 2 minutes.
- I don't like the mushy texture of red lentil, which is why I am cooking it just for 2 minutes.
- Remove the pressure manually.
- Remove the lid and with a hand held whisker whisk the lentil to make it creamy. It will take 30 seconds to do that.
- Keep the dal aside and prepare for tempering.
For Tempering
- Take a small tempering pan.
- Add oil/ghee to it. Heat it.
- When it's hot enough, add cumin seeds, asafoetida, and dry red chili to it.
- Let it crackle. That will take another 30 seconds.
- Now is the time to add chopped garlic to it.
- Let it cook in the oil for 1 minute till it looks light brown.
- Remove the dal into a serving bowl. Drizzle all the tempering over it.
- Sprinkle some lime/lemon juice and garnish with fresh cilantro.
- Serve it over some white rice.
- Enjoy!
Wow delicious
Thank You so much