Red lentils and slightly crisp broccoli come together in this comforting, Indian Broccoli Dal stew.
What is Indian Dal?
If you’re familiar with Indian food, you’ve probably come across Dal, or at least heard of it.
That was the case for us.
We had heard of Dal, but didn’t really WHAT it was.
Until today.
In Indian cuisine, ‘dal’ is used to refer to a category of dried legumes including split beans, peas, and lentils. But, it is also used to refer to a spicy dish made with curry, onions and tomatoes.
Broccoli Dal with Lentils
The dish that inspired us to make this Dal was from Enriching Your Kid. She calls for ‘toor dal’ as the type of beans. We had to turn to Google to find out what type of legume that was, and according to Wikipedia, toor dal is a yellow pigeon pea. Now, I don’t think I’ve ever seen pigeon peas at our grocery stores, but I will be keeping a lookout from now on.
With a lack of pigeon peas, we decided to stick in a similar color pallet and use red lentils. (Which do tend to take on a yellowish hue when cooked.)
Instead of mixing the veggies into the lentil mixture for one big bowl of stew, like the original recipe suggests, we barely sautéed the broccoli so that it would stay crisp.
I love a good combination of textures, and this dish certainly gives a great combo with the soft lentils and crisp broccoli.
More lentil recipes from around the world
If you love lentils, you will love these other cultural recipes using lentils.
- Armenian Mshosh (lentil salad)
- Egyptian Kushari (pasta dish)
- Brazilian Lentil Soup with Kale
- Greek Fakes Lentil Soup
- Lightened up Indian Dal Makhani (Kidney Bean and Lentil Stew)
Broccoli Dal (Broccoli with Lentils)
Ingredients
For The Lentils
- 1 c red lentils
- 2 c water
- 1 green chili pepper seeded and chopped
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp salt
For The Veggies
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 small tomatoes, diced
- 3 c broccoli, chopped
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
For The Lentils
- Combine lentils, water, chopped chili, turmeric, and salt in a medium saucepan. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10-15 minutes until lentils are tender and water has been absorbed.
For The Veggies
- Heat oil in a large, non-stick saute pan. Add onions and garlic and saute over medium-high heat, 2-3 minutes, until onions begin to soften. Add tomatoes, broccoli, cumin, and salt. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 3-5 minutes, until broccoli is vibrant and tomatoes are soft.
- Serve broccoli mixture over the lentils with rice or flat bread.
Nutrition
If you liked this recipe, here are some similar dishes you may enjoy!
Dal Makhani (Creamy Kidney Bean and Lentil Stew)
Fasolakia (Greek green beans)
Akara (West African Bean Fritters)
Masoor Dal (Red Lentil Curry)
Casamiento (Salvadoran Beans and Rice)
Rajma Masala (North Indian Kidney Bean Curry)
Honduran Baleadas (And Homemade Flour Tortillas)
Mshosh (Armenian Lentil Dish)
This sounds so interesting! I love the flavors of India food, looking forward to trying this.
I love dal – it’s one of my favourite comfort food dishes and something I often turn to when I want something quick, simple and soothing for dinner. With the addition of the broccoli I’d actually be able to get someone else around here to eat it too.
Sue
Beautiful! Looks so delicious. Great choice!
Anything with broccoli is game in my mind 🙂 Great pick for reveal day!
I love Indian food. This recipe sounds so delicious and comforting! Great pick this month 🙂
Daal is always a hit with us…I’ve never seen it made with broccoli before! I had no idea toor daal were yellow pigeon peas..I always wondered what pigeon peas were and they have been sitting in my cupboard this whole time! This dish looks wonderful! Great SRC pick!
I’ll definitely try this out since I have some lentils at home I was wondering on how to use up!
Yum! I loooove lentils! This sounds really yummy!
Great for a Meatless Monday, too!
That looks wonderful and so unique – I have never been adventurous enough to cook Indian food at home, though I would love to. This looks like something I might just be brave enough to give a try. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!!
Wonderful! I enjoy dal . Great choice. Visiting from Group B.
I love dal, but for some reason never made it from scratch, I always order in Indian restaurants… shame on me!
HOpe you are having a great Reveal Monday!
Perfectly done! Glad you enjoyed the combination. Love the way your broccoli looks!