Eggplant Dal
Published Sept. 21, 2022
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- ¼cup neutral oil, such as safflower or canola
- 1cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 1large eggplant (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
- Salt and black pepper
- 2tablespoons ghee
- 1tablespoon minced garlic
- 1tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1red or green serrano chile, finely chopped
- 2teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1teaspoon ground coriander
- 1medium tomato, cut into ¼-inch pieces
- 1cup red lentils, rinsed
- Chopped cilantro and basmati rice or naan, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
353 calories; 13 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 16 grams protein; 583 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium. Add onion and eggplant, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is softened and starting to break down, about 8 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons water and stir up the browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Cook until all of the water is absorbed, then transfer eggplant mixture to a bowl.
- Step 2
Melt ghee in the pot over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger, chile, cumin seeds and coriander, and stir constantly until fragrant (be careful not to burn), about 30 seconds. Add tomato and cook, stirring occasionally, until completely broken down and lightly caramelized, about 8 minutes. Stir in eggplant mixture.
- Step 3
Add lentils and 3 cups water to the pot, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until lentils are tender and mixture is thickened, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Step 4
Divide dal among bowls and garnish with cilantro. Serve with rice or naan.
Private Notes
Comments
A half teaspoon of ground cardamom in the spice mixture and Juice of a whole lemon at the end of cooking really brightens this dish
This was tasty but needed a bit more oomph. I followed the recipe to the letter except I didn’t have ghee…subbed unsalted butter instead. I wound up adding a bit more garlic and some garam masala to perk it up a bit. Served it with naan and I’m sure leftovers will improve in the fridge.
Simpler version is to start the second step with just Masoor dal and water to cook the lentils half way, then adding tomatoes, and when lentils are cooked almost all the way but not all the way adding a tsp of tamarind juice extracted by squeezing tamarind soaked in hot water and also the egg plant mixture.Adding hot chilli powder as per your preference kicks it up a notch. Tadka (mustard seeds,cumin seeds,fresh crushed garlic and a few curry leaves spluttered in hot oil) to be added at the end.
based on the comments, added a tablespoon of NY Shuk preserved lemon paste, which helped. While this is tasty, a bit bland for me so I added Sriracha to my serving. in future will definitely amp up the seasonings, will make again.
Per others suggestions, I doubled all the spices and added 1 t of garam masala, 1 t of crushed red pepper, and 1 t turmeric. Used coconut oil instead of ghee and 2 medium tomatoes. Only added 2 1/2 c water vs 3 cups. Added eggplant and onions back in after lentils had cooked.
Garam masala, lemon, Serrano, cilantro. Maybe milk