Caramelized Onion Dal

I’m thinking of making lentil dal today. The recipe comes from Richa Hingle’s food blog, which has great, easy-to-follow recipes that are well-written, tested, delicious, authentic, and accompanied by beautiful photos (see two photos to the right, top row).

Caramelized Onion Dal from veganrisha.com blog. https://www.veganricha.com/caramelized-onion-dal/#wprm-recipe-container-48277

You can see her YouTube video here or on the recipe page.

Wow! Risha’s Dal was one of the best I’ve had. The flavors evolved with every bite. The lentils were perfectly cooked, and the combination of red and brown lentils added a nice texture. The caramelized onions, garlic, ginger, and spices created a rich, deep flavor, especially with the addition of curry leaves and garam masala.

The second tempering really brought everything together, adding a fragrant kick. I didn’t have yellow lentils, just red and brown, so the contrast between the lentils and the dark, fragrant tempered spices wasn’t as striking as Risha’s, but it still tasted amazing. Overall, it was a delicious, well-balanced dish that I’d definitely make again!

This dish can feed 4 to 6 people as a side dish, 2 people as a main dish.

Second Time Making this Wonderful Dish
I made this dish a second time using all the ingredients from the recipe, plus a few of my own additions. What I love about Risha’s recipe (besides it standing on its own and being easy to follow) is that it serves as a great base, allowing you to add extra veggies and spices for new textures and flavors.

Here’s what I changed:
– I left out the green chili pepper both times
– added 1 medium zucchini, cubed 3/8″
– Added 1 kale leaf, stem removed, finely chopped

First Tempering
– Added 1 tsp coriander
– Added a little more ginger

Second Tempering
– Added 1/2 tsp ground cumin
– Added 1/4 tsp ground fenugreek seeds
– Added 1/2 tsp ground Kashmiri Chili pepper