Check out this one pot daal recipe that easy to whip up, and comes in under 30 minutes recipe. It is high in protein, great for meal prep (you just need a large saucepan), and naturally gluten-free. It is spiced with a few easy spices, with some sweet potatoes in there for some extra nutrition. This recipe is a full meal in itself.
Inspiration to make daal
I wanted to share a part of my culture with my audience. Since living outside of India I have developed a huge respect and appreciation of Indian cuisine. There is so much variety and the recipes are also vegan-friendly. Daal is a great example of this. It actually reminds me of my childhood when I would come back home all tired and hungry from school. My mom would pull out a nice hot bowl of daal and roti for me and that was all I needed! And she used to make it in one pot or saucepan too when she was short on time.
How to consume daal?
Since it is so easy to prepare in just one pot, it could be a quick dinner option. And even though you can have this easy one-pot daal recipe just by itself, I highly recommend making a batch of basmati rice or Indian flatbread like roti or chapati, along with this. These go great on the side with maybe some sautéed veg, mm mmmm.
Ultimately daal is something that is easy and prepared in almost every Indian household. I believe it should be prepared all over the world! Let us be a part of the daal revolution, leggo!
Do try this recipe out and let me know how you like it. If you have any queries, I’m here to help you in the comments or DM me on my Instagram page.
If you wish to have a more indulgent recipe, check out this Daal Tadka recipe for a perfect weekend dinner that replicates restaurant-like flavours. Check out other hearty Indian dishes from the blog:
Easy One-Pot Daal Recipe
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Knife
Ingredients
- 1 Cup/180 g Red lentils You may use whatever quick cooking lentil you have available
- 1 Medium sized sweet potato Optional
- 1 tbsp Neutral oil
- 1 Large onion (finely chopped)
- 1 Medium tomato sliced
- 5 Cloves of garlic minced
- 1 inch Knob of ginger minced
- 2.5 cups (about 600 ml) Vegetable broth or water + extra for desired consistency
- A bunch Fresh coriander or cilantro chopped
Spices
- 1 tsp Ground turmeric
- 1 tsp Ground coriander
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 Pinch of asafoetida hing
- 2 Dried red chilies
- 1 tsp Garam masala
Instructions
- In a medium sized saucepan, heat up some oil on low heat. Add cumin seeds and let them darker for a minute. Then add ginger, garlic and and cook that for 1 minute.
- Once these are fragrant, add the onions and let them soften on medium low heat (takes about 10 minutes) and then add the rest of the spices (except garam masala) and let them cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and let it completely soften and blend in.
- Add the sweet potato and lentils and mix well. Then add the veggie broth or water and bring to boil.
- Turn down the heat to medium heat, cover and let cook for about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Once the lentils and sweet potato are cooked through, add the Garam Masala and chopped fresh coriander. Mix well and take it off the heat.
- Serve with basmati rice or Indian flat bread or just enjoy as is. I also love adding some soy cream on top for an extra layer of flavour and texture.
I made this recipe last Thursday and I loved it! It was my first time making any Indian dish, so I figured I start with the one-pot daal since it seemed like something I could potentially do without messing up too badly haha. Recipe is nice and easy to follow, and I loved how it tasted in the end – especially with the sweet potato! I had it with Roti (also your recipe) and my whole family was very happy and fed so what else can I ask for? It was our first time trying daal so thank you for introducing us to something new to us. Really great recipe! Looking forward to making it again, hopefully making it better than the first time!
Great! Although I am not very experienced with cooking Indian food it is easy and tasty. My kids also like so it has become one of my regular dishes. Thank you!