Dinner

Yellow Split Pea Dal

Golden split peas simmered soft with turmeric, then finished with onion, garlic, ginger and cumin. Mild enough for kids.

⏱ 1 hr 5 min (15 min prep, 50 min cooking) 🍽 Serves 6 · about 1 cup dal with 3/4 cup rice budgetmake aheadfreezer friendlyleftovers vegetariangluten free
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ContainsMilk. Check the labels on what you buy; brands differ.

Ingredients

Make 6 servings

  • Dal

  • 1½ cup Dried split peas, yellow, rinsed
  • 5 cup Water
  • 1 tsp Ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp Table salt
  • 1 can Diced tomatoes

  • Flavor base

  • 3 tbsp Butter, salted, or oil
  • 1 Yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 4 clove Garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp Fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • 1 tsp Ground cumin
  • 1 tsp Ground coriander
  • ¼ tsp Cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 1 tbsp Lemon juice (bottled)
  • ½ cup Fresh cilantro, chopped

  • Rice

  • 1½ cup Jasmine rice
  • 2¼ cup Water

Make it yourself

Make the butter yourself →

In the planner, Make it on the shopping list swaps the store item for these ingredients and puts the work on your prep day.

Nutrition

Nutrition coming: the USDA numbers for these ingredients are being added.

Steps

You’ll need: large pot, medium saucepan with lid, small skillet.

  1. Put the split peas, 5 cups water and turmeric in a large pot. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, then simmer partly covered 40 to 45 minutes, stirring often, until the peas are very soft. Add water if it gets too thick.
  2. Meanwhile, rinse the rice, then simmer it covered in 2 1/4 cups water for 15 minutes. Let it stand off the heat 10 minutes.
  3. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion 8 minutes, until golden. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander and cayenne for 1 minute.
  4. Stir the onion mixture, tomatoes and salt into the peas and simmer 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and cilantro. Serve over the rice.
Make aheadThe dal keeps 4 days in the fridge and thickens; loosen it with water when you reheat it to 165°F.
❄️ FreezerFreeze the dal (not the rice) for up to 3 months.
↺ LeftoversSpoon leftover dal into a warm tortilla or naan for lunch.
🧒 With kidsLeave out the cayenne and set out plain yogurt to cool each bite.
Dairy-free swapUse oil instead of butter.

Goes well with

🥬 Simple Green Salad

Good to know

Dried vs. canned beans Table salt vs. kosher salt vs. sea salt Cooking Fats Compared Salted vs. unsalted butter Fresh vs. dried herbs Brown vs. white rice

An original Teddy Rook Book recipe. Nutrition is estimated from USDA FoodData Central and changes with brands and portions.

@teddyrookbook GitHub Sources and credits