This one-pot dhal is packed with red lentils, chickpeas, butternut squash and spinach and ready in just 25 minutes. A great vegan dahl that can be served as a main or side dish.
You will also love my vegan Sweet Potato, Chickpea and Red Lentil Soup
I realised the other day that this blog has many curry recipes but very few that are vegetarian or vegan. This is clearly an oversight on my part since lentil dahl is one of my favourite things to cook and eat!
What is a dhal?
Dhal or dal (also daal, dail, dahl ) refers both to ingredients such as red lentils, split peas and various other dried pulses and the various curries made from from them.
My absolute favourite is daal makhani, a dish that is made with whole black lentils (urad) and enriched with indecent amounts of butter and cream. It is totally heavenly… but sadly not for anyone even remotely calorie-conscious.
This vegan dahl on the other hand is a great healthy midweek meal that’s packed with plant-based goodness. Usually dhal is more of a side dish, but I have upped the vegetables here to make it more substantial and, dare I say it, a lot tastier.
You can eat it on its own, with a little coconut yoghurt, with naan bread or serve it over rice – and what’s more, it tastes even better the next day. Make a big batch to serve over a couple of days or freeze the leftovers.
You can make this recipe on the stove or in your pressure cooker where it takes only a fraction of the time. Since it is quite quick anyway I prefer to make it on the stove – take a look at the recipe video to see how its done.
How to make dhal curry
Take a look at this step by step tutorial – please note you will find the full recipe, including ingredients in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Heat a little oil in a large casserole (or use cooking spray if you are following Slimming World). Add the onions and sauté over low heat for 5 minutes, adding the spices, garlic and ginger towards the end.
Stir in the cubed squash and add the hot stock. Bring the curry to a rolling simmer.
Add the red lentils, chickpeas and tomatoes, give everything a good stir and simmer over low heat, partially covering the pot, for 15-20 minutes. By now the dhal should be thick and the squash cooked through.
Finally stir in the spinach, mixing it in until it wilts and add a little coconut or oat cream, if you like. Serve garnished with coriander leaves.
If you like to add a bit more flavour into the curry you can fry mustard seeds in rapeseed oil until they start to pop. Drizzle the seeds and oil over the curry before serving.
Slow Cooker instructions
This recipe is easy to make in a crockpot. Fry the onion with the spices, ginger and garlic then add to your slow cooker together with the squash, chickpeas, and tomatoes.
Add the stock and give everything a good stir. Cook on low for 8 hours, stirring in the spinach and cream at the end.
Lucy’s Tips
- This one-pot dhal is naturally vegan and gluten free.
- You don’t need to soak the red lentils, however you do need to give them a good rinse.
- You can experiment by adding different vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots and so on.
- This is a fairly mild dal recipe. If you want to dial up the heat you could add one or two chillies and their seeds in with the onions.
- The curry will keep for up to four days in the fridge and up to three months in the freezer.
- Keep the liquid from the chickpeas (aquafaba) to make vegan chocolate mousse or vegan macarons!
- Syn-free for those following Slimming World provided you use cooking spray instead of oil.
Have you dhal recipe? Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes. I can’t wait to see your take on it!
You will also love these vegan recipes
- Dump and start Instant Pot red lentil soup { vegan }
- Pressure cooker sweet potato, chickpea and red lentil soup
- Instant pot creamy vegan corn chowder
- 10 minute pressure cooker vegan curry
One-pot dhal curry
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil (or use cooking spray)
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground coriander
- 3 garlic cloves grated
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger finely grated
- 250 g | 1 cup butternut squash peeled and cubed
- 960 ml | 4 cups hot vegetable stock
- 300 g | 1 1/2 cups red lentils rinsed
- 400 g |14 oz tin chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 4 tomatoes seeded and roughly chopped
- 60 ml | 1/4 cup coconut cream (optional)
- 180g g (3 cups loosely packed) spinach leaves
- fresh coriander (cilantro) to garnish
- pinch red chilli flakes to garnish
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large casserole and sauté the onion for 5 minutes over medium-low heat.
- Stir in the spices, salt, garlic, ginger and butternut squash.
- Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a rolling simmer.
- Add in the red lentils – they tend to become a solid mass once you rinse them so break them up with a spoon.
- Add the chickpeas and tomatoes and simmer, partially covered for 15 minutes until the curry has thickened and squash is tender.
- Mix in the spinach until it starts to wilt and then stir in the coconut cream. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.
- Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and a pinch red chilli flakes.
Slow cooker method
- Fry the onion with the spices, ginger and garlic then add to your slow cooker together with the squash, chickpeas, and tomatoes.
- Add the stock and give everything a good stir. Cook on low for 8 hours, stirring in the spinach and cream at the end.
Video
Notes
- This one-pot dhal is naturally vegan and gluten free.
- You don’t need to soak the red lentils, however you do need to give them a good rinse.
- You can experiment by adding different veggies like potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots and so on.
- If you like to add a bit more flavour into the curry you can fry mustard seeds in rapeseed oil until they start to pop. Drizzle the seeds and oil over the curry before serving.
- This dhal curry is quite mild. If you want to dial up the heat you could add one or two chillies and their seeds in with the onions.
- The curry will keep for up to four days in the fridge and up to three months in the freezer.
- Keep the liquid from the chickpeas (aquafaba) to make vegan chocolate mousse or vegan macarons!
- Syn-free for those following Slimming World provided you use cooking spray instead of oil.
Heather says
We just finished this outstanding Indian dish and we loved it. Served with basmati rice and naan. The flavours are so tasty, perfect amount of heat; did use two chili peppers and added the mustard seed. Will be freezing the remainder. Thanks.
Lucy Parissi says
Thanks for your lovely comment, so glad you enjoyed this recipe
Heather says
Making this dish tonight. How much mustard seed should I add? Thanks
Lucy Parissi says
1-2 teaspoons should be plenty x
Lu says
Delicious 😋 so buttery and fluffy and easy to make
Jennifer Spechtenhauser says
Thank you for this Curry Recipe! Like it very much! 🤗