Tiny black lentils (also called black urid dal) are cooked with tomato paste and Indian spices to create a creamy dal that’s rich and flavorful. A cream substitute makes the dish much lighter and vegan.
Photo provided by Junoon Restaurant.
In October 2010 I had the great pleasure of eating at Junnoon Restaurant in Palo Alto, California. It’s a gorgeous, upscale South Indian eatery featuring foods from the Goa region. The food was incredible and they were happy to provide me many vegetarian and gluten-free options. In general, Indian restaurants are good choices for gluten-free dining, as most dishes are naturally gluten-free.
Executive Chef Kirti Pant has been kind enough to provide me with three recipes to share, which I have tested in the Recipe Renovator kitchen and modified slightly to make them vegan. These recipes sent me on a fun trip to our local Indian grocery store, Ker Fresh. Check out the recipes for vegetarian keema and cranberry chutney as well.
Suitable for:
vegan, gluten-free, low-sodium, reduced-sugar diets
Not for:
migraine diets
Creamy black lentils in tomato sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup lentils black urid (225 g)
- 6 ounces tomato paste no salt added
- 1/4 tsp asafoetida
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek (dried)
- 2 tbsp ginger (fresh) or ginger paste
- 2 tbsp garlic or garlic paste
- 1 tsp sea salt (omit for low-sodium diet)
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 cup coconut milk light or regular
- 2-4 tbsp Earth Balance margarine, butter, ghee (use unsalted for low-sodium diet)
Instructions
- Pick over the lentils to remove any rocks or debris. The easiest way to do this is to pour them a few at a time into a shallow bowl, then dump into your cooking pot. Rinse thoroughly and drain.
- Put the lentils in a large pot with a lid, add 3 C. (750 ml) of filtered water and the tomato paste and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, stir to mix the tomato paste evenly, cover, and cook for about one hour.
- While the lentils are cooking, put the next three ingredients (dry spices) into a dry skillet and toast on medium heat until they are fragrant. Turn off the heat and set aside.
- When the lentils are tender but not mushy, stir in the rest of the ingredients and cook 10-20 minutes until the flavors are nicely melded.
- Add additional garam masala or chili powder to your taste. Serve over brown rice.
Notes
- 190 calories
- 5 g fat
- 2 g saturated fat
- 1 g monounsaturated fat
- 1 g polyunsaturated fat
- 0 g trans fat
- 0 g cholesterol
- 439 mg sodium (31 mg sodium with salt omitted, using unsalted butter)
- 368 mg potassium
- 27 g carbohydrate
- 11 g fiber
- 4 g sugars
- 11 g protein
- 4 Weight Watchers Points Plus
Leave A Comment