The first time I made this daal I didn’t really like it. It felt like something was missing. I’m so used to daal always being a bit sour and this isn’t. After I got used to the idea that this daal isn’t sour I started liking it a lot more. I adapted it from Smitten Kitchen Everyday Yellow Daal. I used half the amount of red onion because I think a whole onion would make it too sweet. I reduced the turmeric to 1/2 tsp and I omitted the buter.
Channa Ki Daal with Red Onion
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
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1 cup channa ki daal (yellow split peas), washed and soaked for at least 1 hour
1 large tomato, cut into 8 wedges
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 medium red onion, minced
5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup minced fresh coriander
1 tsp salt
Drain the daal and put in a saucepan with tomato and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and simmer partly covered for about 1 hour. Pick out tomato skins. Whisk the daal to emulsify.
In a small skillet, heat the canola oil. Add the cumin seeds. When the seeds stop sputtering, add the red onion and fry for about 3 minutes on medium heat. Add the garlic and fry till onion is brown. Add coriander powder, cayenne pepper and turmeric. Mix and add to the daal. Add the minced coriander and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Love this! Simple and healthy. I am definitely going to make it on the weekend. I love daal. I'm not sure about the red onion though… could I use a regular onion? Also, could I reduce the oil even more or is that much necessary? My cooking experience should have taught me that oil IS needed, but I will never stop trying to reduce if I can without sacrificing taste!
Love this! Simple and healthy. I am definitely going to make it on the weekend. I love daal. I'm not sure about the red onion though… could I use a regular onion? Also, could I reduce the oil even more or is that much necessary? My cooking experience should have taught me that oil IS needed, but I will never stop trying to reduce if I can without sacrificing taste!
Thx Rafia…..I think regular onion would have a stronger flavor. But you could give it a try…Let me know how it goes. Red Onion is more mild. I think that amount of oil is used because there is so much onion to fry. But you could use less…it will just take longer to fry the onion. Let me know how it turns out. Mustufa loves this daal. We eat it like a soup.
Really? I tend to think that red onions have a stronger flavor. Or perhaps, I interpret strong as "different" because I don't use it too much. Hey, if less oil means standing on my feet "bhuning" for the entire day, I will do it! Haha, I'll let you know how it goes. I'm def. going to find some time to make this. I could live off of nothing but daal (and some bread to go along with it 😉
Let me know how it goes…I find this daal takes longer to make than my usuals b/c there is so much onion to fry. You should try the Lentil Soup I posted..your sis tried it and really liked it.