Cheap and Cheerful Slowcooked Lentil Dahl

Cheap and cheerful dinners don’t get much yummier than this Slowcooked Lentil Dahl.

It’s not an all-day slow-cooked meal, taking around 6 hours of low simmering, but it’s great if you’re pottering around at home and don’t have the time to necessarily devote to cooking.

While it can be tempting to skip toasting the spices, we don’t recommend it. They absolutely make this dish, so don’t leave this Cheap and Cheerful Slowcooked Lentil Dahl out!

Also, make sure you have all whole seeds and use them all up!

Cheap and Cheerful Slowcooked Lentil Dahl

Recipe by Stay at Home Mum

0.0 from 0 votes

A budget-friendly vegetarian curry with slow-cooked lentils, spices, and aromatics. Comforting, hearty, and perfect with rice or flatbread for a nourishing meat-free meal.

Course: Recipes, Slowcooker Recipes, Under , VegetarianCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Medium

Servings

Adjust servings

+

–

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• 2 tsp Cumin seeds

• 2 tsp Mustard seeds

• 1 tsp Fennel seeds

• 2 cups Split red lentils

• 5 cups Water

• 400 gram Diced Tomato

• 1 Onion, diced

• 2 tbsp Ginger root-peeled and grated

• 1 tbsp Ground turmeric

• 2 Bay leaves

• 2 tsp Salt

• 0.5 tsp Black pepper

• 0.75 cup Coriander-to top, optional

Directions

• In a small pan on a low heat, toast the cumin, mustard and fennel seeds. Stir them frequently while toasting, or for 4 minutes. Set aside.
• To your slow cooker, add everything, including the toasted spices. Mix well to distribute everything evenly.
• Cook on low for 4-6 hours, or on high for 2-3 hours. The dahl is cooked when the lentils are soft and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
• Stir before serving, and enjoy with a side of your favourite rice.

Clare Whitfield Chief Editor

Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney, she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.

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