Dal bhat (lentils and rice) are a Nepali staple enjoyed frequently thorughout the country. These recipes shows how to make the dal, a simple vegetable curry (tarkari) and fried spinach (sag). Serve with rice, papad and a pickle, such as mula ko achaar (fermented daikon, separate recipe on blog).
Course dinner, Main Course
Cuisine nepali, South Asian
Keyword curry, Dal, lentils, rice
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour
Ingredients
Dal (lentils)
250mLred lentils
1tbspoil
½onion, chopped
3clovesgarlic, sliced
1-2green chili, slit lengthwise, seeds removed
1tomato, chopped
2tspcoriander powder
1tspcumin powder
2tspturmeric powder
1tspsalt
Tarkari (vegetable curry)
3potatoes, boiled and cubed400 g
½head of cauliflower, cut into florets400 g
1tomato, diced
1tspcumin seedsor 2 tsp ground cumin
1tspfenugreek seedsor 1 tsp ground fenugreek
1onion, chopped
3clovesgarlic, minced
1knobginger, minced
1tbspcoriander powder
1tbspturmeric powder
1tspchili powder
2tbspoil
1tspsalt
2tbspfresh coriander, choppedoptional
Sag (spinach)
1bunchspinach, roughly chopped
½onion, minced
2clovesgarlic, minced
1knobginger, match sticks
1tspcumin seedsor 1 tsp ground cumin
1-2dried red chilior ½tsp chili powder
1tspfenugreek seedsor ½ tsp ground fenugreek
For serving
basmati rice
papads
pickled vegetables
Instructions
Bhat (rice)
Cook rice how you usually like it.My favourite way is to soak basmati rice for 30+ min, then drain it. Put the rice in a pot, add water equal to the amount of unsoaked rice. (E.g. 400 mL rice + 400 mL water). Add a a pinch of salt. Cover with a lid and bring to a simmer. Turn of hotplate and let sit.
Dal (lentils)
Heat oil in a pot. Sweat the onion for a minute, until they start to turn slightly translucent. Add garlic, ginger, green chili and all the spices (cumin, coriander, turmeric). Stir for another 30 s.
Add the lentils, salt and 800 mL water.
Bring to a boil and simmer until the lentils are done and just about start falling apart.
Adjust consistency by adding water if needed. This dal should be quite watery.
Tarkari (vegetable curry)
Heat oil in a pan. If using whole cumin, add the seeds now and fry until they crackle. Add fenugreek seeds and let them develop some colour. If using powdered spices, add them below.
Fry onion for a few minutes until they start getting a bit of colour.
Add garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant.
Add the ground spices (turmeric, coriander, chili powder). If using ground cumin and fenugreek, add these now.
Add the boiled potatoes and stir until spices coat all potatoes. If it starts to burn, add some water.
Stir in tomatoes and cauliflower. Add ~200 mL water and salt.
Bring to a simmer and simmer until the cauliflower is cooked through. Add water if needed.
Mash a few potatoes to create a thicker gravy. Stir in coriander leaves if using.
Sag (spinach)
Heat oil in a pan. If using whole cumin, add the seeds now and fry until they crackle. Add fenugreek seeds (if using) and dried chili (if using) and let both develop some colour. The chili will get soft. If using powdered spices, add them below.
Add onion and let sweat a little, until slightly translucent.
Add garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant.
If using powdered spices (cumin, fenugreek, chili), add them now and stir
Stir in the spinach, let wilt.
Let simmer for a few minutes.
Serving
Serve dal, bhat, tarkari and sag with papads and pickled vegetables.