Fakeout Kitchen

Comforting Red Lentil Dal

A hearty and soul-warming lentil soup perfect for a cozy dinner.

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup red lentils ( masoor dal)
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 2 tbsp ghee or butter
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 green chili, slit
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • Salt to taste

Clean swaps

How we upgrade the restaurant version with better ingredients.

  • ginger-garlic paste → freshly minced ginger and garlic root — Commercial pastes often contain preservatives, stabilizers, and citric acid.
  • turmeric powder → organic turmeric powder — Conventional spices may be treated with anti-caking agents or contain heavy metal residues.
  • Salt to taste → Himalayan Pink Salt — Refined table salt is chemically processed; Himalayan salt preserves natural minerals and lacks bleaching agents.

Instructions

  1. Rinse the lentils under cold water until clear and drain well.
  2. In a large pot, combine lentils, water, turmeric, and salt; bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes until soft.
  3. While lentils cook, heat ghee in a skillet and sauté cumin seeds, ginger-garlic paste, and chopped onion until golden brown.
  4. Add the minced garlic, green chili, and diced tomato to the skillet, cooking until the tomatoes soften.
  5. Pour the sautéed mixture into the pot of cooked lentils and stir thoroughly.
  6. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes, adding a splash of water if needed to reach desired consistency.

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