Dhaba style Butter Dal Vegan no Onion No Garlic
This Dhaba style Butter Dal offers a flavorful vegan lentil dish without onion or garlic, using red lentils, ginger, green chili, and a tempering of aromatic spices in vegan butter. The lentils simmer until tender and then mingle with a fragrant spice tadka featuring cumin, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, and chili powders, giving a layered, mildly spicy character. The addition of fresh tomato and garnishes like cilantro and lemon juice brings brightness, making it a comforting, protein-rich dal well suited for serving over rice or with bread.
Ingredients
For the dal:
- 3/4 cup red lentils masoor dal), see notes for other lentils, split
- 3 cups water
- 1 inch ginger julienned or finely chopped
- 1 hot green chili Use mild chili if you wish, such as serrano or indian chili, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek leaves dried
- 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tomato medium, chopped small
For the tempering or tadka:
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter or oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 bay leaf
- 2 clove whole
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 red chili peppers use hot Indian or Thai, or for mild use California red or Kashmiri, dried
- 6 black peppercorns
- 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek leaves
- 2 teaspoon kashmiri chili powder or paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne chili powder optional, or indian chili powder
- 1 tomato large, cubed into 1 inch slices
- lemon juice for garnish
- cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the dal: add all of the ingredients under dal in a saucepan and mix well.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat. Then partially cover after bringing to a boil then cook until the dal is tender to preference, 13-15 minutes. See recipe notes if using other lentils
- Make the tempering: add butter to a skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted and hot, add the cumin seeds and cook for a minute until the seeds change color and get very fragrant.
- Then add in the bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon stick, dried chilis, pepper corns and fenugreek leaves. Mix well and cook until the chilies change color. About Half a minute
- Add in the kashmiri chili powder or paprika, ground coriander and cayenne if using then mix well and then immediately add in the chopped tomato and the cooked dal(lentils along with the water).
- Mix well. Taste and adjust salt and flavor and once the dal comes to a boil, switch off the heat.
- Garnish with cilantro and lemon or lime juice and serve over rice or with flatbread.
Notes
- You can substitute other lentils like moong or toor, adjusting cooking times accordingly (moong dal: 20 minutes, toor dal: 30 minutes stovetop).
- For pressure cooking, masoor dal takes about 3 minutes, moong or urad dal 6 minutes, and toor dal 10 minutes with a quick release after 5 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh lemon juice or lime and cilantro to finish.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 4 Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 184
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 184kcal | 9% |
| Carbohydrates | 28g | 9% |
| Protein | 10g | 20% |
| Fat | 4g | 6% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Sodium | 325mg | 14% |
| Potassium | 623mg | 13% |
| Fiber | 13g | 52% |
| Sugar | 4g | 8% |
| Vitamin A | 1155IU | 23% |
| Vitamin C | 59mg | 66% |
| Calcium | 52mg | 5% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.