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Recipe · Meal

Red lentil dal with crispy onions

●● Easy
Prep15 min Cook25 min Serves4 portions Cost~£1.63 per portion Edit Equipment Heavy-based pan
Freezes well Gluten-free Kid-friendly Vegan Vegetarian

Make it vs buy it

This batch costs about £0.57 (estimated from ingredients). Add a "buy it instead" price to see how much making it saves.

Savings are ingredient-cost only — they don't count time or labour. Estimates use approximate ingredient prices.

Adapted from Plenty — source — Swapped the original yellow split peas for red lentils and cut the cook time for a weeknight.

Swapped the original yellow split peas for red lentils and cut the cook time for a weeknight.

Ingredients

2
The base of most savoury cooking worldwide — sweetness and depth come from slow, patient cooking, not a hot pan.
A good source of prebiotic fibre that supports gut bacteria.
Crying is caused by a sulfur compound released when cells are cut — chilling the onion first helps.
Full ingredient page →
200g
1 tsp
Gives dal its colour and a warm, earthy base note — bloom it in the oil, don't add it late.
Pairs with black pepper for better absorption of its active compound, curcumin.
Full ingredient page →
1 can
1 tbsp
Adds a sharp, warming lift that balances turmeric's earthiness.
Traditionally used to settle digestion, often alongside turmeric in the same dishes.
Full ingredient page →
1 large
250g
2 tbsp Neutral oil
to taste Salt

Method

01

Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, for 12–15 minutes until soft and golden. Don't rush this — it's most of the flavour in the dish.

02

Scoop out a third of the onions and set aside — these will be the crispy topping. Add the ginger and turmeric to the pan with the remaining onions. Stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.

03

Add the red lentils and 700ml water. Bring to a simmer, then cook uncovered for 18–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils have broken down and the dal has thickened.

04

While the dal simmers, return the reserved onions to a small pan over medium-high heat and cook until deep golden and crisp, about 5 minutes.

05

Season the dal to taste with salt. Serve topped with the crispy onions.

What this dish is doing for you

Physical and mental benefits, rolled up from this recipe's ingredients and grouped by the outcome they support.

💪 Digestion & gut health Evidence not yet assessed
Rich in prebiotic fibre that feeds beneficial gut bacteria.
Traditionally used in South Asian households to settle digestion, often in warm milk or with ginger.
from Onions, sliced, Ground turmeric
💪 Anti-inflammatory support Evidence not yet assessed
Curcumin is studied for its anti-inflammatory properties, most commonly discussed in relation to joint comfort.
Gingerol is studied for its anti-inflammatory and digestive properties.
from Ground turmeric, Ginger, grated
💪 Iron & blood health Evidence not yet assessed
Contains modest amounts of iron and manganese, useful in a varied vegetarian diet.
Iron content is well-absorbed when paired with vitamin C (e.g. tomatoes, lemon).
from Ground turmeric, Red lentils
💪 Antioxidant protection Evidence not yet assessed
Quercetin, a flavonoid in onions, is studied for its antioxidant properties.
from Onions, sliced
💪 Other benefit Evidence not yet assessed
The base of most savoury cooking worldwide — sweetness and depth come from slow cooking.
from Onions, sliced
💪 Other benefit Evidence not yet assessed
Traditionally used to settle nausea, including motion sickness and morning sickness.
from Ginger, grated
💪 Heart & cardiovascular health Evidence not yet assessed
Warming effect on circulation, commonly used in cold-weather cooking.
from Ginger, grated
💪 Other benefit Evidence not yet assessed
Excellent source of plant protein — a staple in vegetarian cooking worldwide.
from Red lentils
💪 Micronutrient support Evidence not yet assessed
High in folate, important for cell repair and particularly relevant during pregnancy.
from Red lentils
🧠 Comfort & ritual Evidence not yet assessed
The ritual of blooming spices slowly is often cited as a grounding, mindful cooking practice.
Dal (lentil stew) is comfort food across South Asia — the dish many people associate with home.
from Ground turmeric, Red lentils
🧠 Other benefit Evidence not yet assessed
The slow caramelisation of onions is often described as one of the most meditative cooking tasks.
from Onions, sliced
🧠 Other benefit Evidence not yet assessed
Crying when cutting onions is caused by a sulfur compound — chilling them first helps.
from Onions, sliced
🧠 Mood Evidence not yet assessed
Some research links curcumin to mood support, though evidence is still early and mixed.
from Ground turmeric
🧠 Other benefit Evidence not yet assessed
Golden milk (turmeric latte) is widely used as an evening wind-down drink.
from Ground turmeric
🧠 Other benefit Evidence not yet assessed
The sharp, clean flavour is often described as uplifting — used in many cultures as a morning tonic.
from Ginger, grated
🧠 Anxiety & stress Evidence not yet assessed
Ginger tea is a common home remedy for stress and tension.
from Ginger, grated
🧠 Other benefit Evidence not yet assessed
The act of simmering lentils slowly is described in food writing as a form of kitchen patience.
from Red lentils
Mental-health claims are based on specific studied circumstances — see individual ingredient pages for detail. This information is not a substitute for professional medical advice.
A note of balance: this dish also contains coconut milk, which can work against a heart-healthy message.

Evidence strength is the weakest tier among contributing ingredients that have assessed evidence; benefits without a tier yet count as "not assessed".

Nutrient profile per serving

Computed from UK CoFID per-100g data for this recipe's ingredients, split across 4 servings. Percentages are of daily reference values for a typical adult.

We don't have enough CoFID data yet to show a nutrient profile for this dish — the ingredients that are missing data are listed under "data coverage" below.

Vitamin C, folate and thiamin values apply a cooking-loss factor for this dish's method (vitamin C keeps roughly 50%); minerals and B12 are treated as cooking-stable. Percentages are of the UK Reference Nutrient Intake for a typical adult where one exists; nutrients without an official RNI (fibre, vitamin D, vitamin E, omega-3) are shown against UK dietary guidelines. Not all of this recipe's ingredients could be included in the nutrient figures — see the data coverage note below.

Data coverage

These ingredients couldn't be included in the figures above:

Onions, sliced, Coconut milk, Sweet potato, Salt — the amount can't be converted to grams
Neutral oil — no ingredient page is linked
Red lentil, Ground turmeric, Ginger, grated, Red lentils — the ingredient has no linked CoFID record