Creamy Coconut Chana Dal
1 hr
Main
Servings
Total
1 hrPrep
10 minCook
50 minFree from
soy
peanut
tree nut
sesame
gluten
Ingredients
-
1 Tbsp (15 mL)vegetable oil
-
2medium onions, chopped
-
4cloves garlic, minced
-
1 Tbsp (6 g)fresh ginger, minced
-
1red hot chili pepper, minced
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1 Tbsp (6 g)curry powder
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2 tsp (6 g)ground turmeric
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½ tspsalt
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1½ cups (300 g)dry chana dal, soaked overnight†
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2 cups (480 mL)water
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1vegetable bouillon cube
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1½ cups (285 g)uncooked brown rice, soaked overnight
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2 cups (480 mL)water
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1⅔ cups (399 mL)canned full-fat coconut milk
-
1yellow bell pepper, chopped
-
1red bell pepper, chopped
-
1 cup (149 g)cherry tomatoes, halved
Optional toppings
-
fresh cilantro
-
chili flakes
-
lemon slice
Directions
- Add oil to a large pot on high heat. When hot, add the onion and cook until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add splashes of water as needed to deglaze the pot.
- Then add the garlic, ginger, and chili pepper and sauté for 3 more minutes.
- Drop the heat to medium, and add the curry powder, turmeric, garam masala, and salt. Stir continuously for 30 - 60 seconds to toast the spices.
- Add the water, drained chana dal, and bouillon. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and partially cover. Cook for 30 - 40 minutes, or until the dal is al dente*. Stir periodically.
- Meanwhile, add the drained rice and water to a medium pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, partially cover with a lid, and cook for 20 minutes. Then remove from the heat and leave covered.
- Taste test the dal. When fully cooked through, add the coconut milk and bell peppers. Cook uncovered for 10 more minutes.
- Then add the cherry tomatoes and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Serve the dal with the rice, and garnish as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- †Chana dal (split chickpeas) needs to be soaked overnight before cooking unless you're using a pressure cooker.
- * Decrease the cooking time to 15 minutes if using yellow or red lentils.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Let us know what you think
Plate method
The Plate Method is a visual tool that helps us ensure our dietary needs are on track. Touch the image below to see how this recipe measures up.
Grains & Starches 31%
• uncooked brown rice
Proteins 33%
• dry chana dal
Fruits & Veggies 36%
• medium onion
• clove garlic
• fresh ginger
• red hot chili pepper
• yellow bell pepper
• red bell pepper
• cherry tomato
Calcium
No significant sources of calciumFat
• vegetable oil
• canned full-fat coconut milk
Nutrition info
We believe that focusing on numbers can harm our relationship with food. Instead, our philosophy is to Nourish the Cells & the Soul. If you require specific nutrition information due to a medical condition, please consult with a dietitian or physician. The nutritional information provided is composed with the utmost care. However, we cannot guarantee the correctness of the displayed values, see also our disclaimer.
Watch it step-by-step!
Discussion & Rating
Did anyone have trouble cooking the Chana Dal? I followed the instructions to the letter and even left them to soak overnight for 24h but they are still practically raw...
This is so good! We used red lentils and added some fresh spinach at the end
Simple, delicious and easy to tweak - I love this site!
Delicious, a comforting meal, perfect for cold days ! Thank you for all the creative meal ideas and all the work you put in your youtube channel and in this website :)
Thank you for this delicious recipe! Having cooked chana dal without using coconut milk before, I was quite curious to know what the combination would taste like. I have to say, I like to cook chana dal only with coconut milk now! It's really such a flavourful and warm, comforting dish. It was well enjoyed at home too! :)
Super tasty.
I've loved this one for a long time! It's not too much like a curry and it's very warm and homey
Very yummy! We made this tonight at a friend's apartment and it was super warm and comforting. A few changes: lentils instead of chana daal, a can of diced tomatoes + 1 whole tomato, a little bit of finely chopped cabbage, and a handful of frozen peas that needed to be used up. The flavor was wonderful.
Hello lovely people,
this is so yum! I love it. You have greatly inspired me to eat healthy. Thanks a bunch for that.
Love,
Samiya
Yum! Yum! Yum! This recipe is a new staple for my family and I. Pick Up Limes has made it so easy to incorporate many new healthy, delicious and vegan meals into our diets. I have not found one meal that disappoints!
A great recipe I have cooked multiple times. Because I wasn't in the mood for rice today, I added about 900g cubed potatoes, 250ml extra water, an additional tsp of salt and a tbsp of soysauce to the dal. Furthermore I switched 1 bellpepper for 250g frozen spinach. Adding lemon juice in the end is a must in my opinion, as it brightens the whole dish.
Can I used tinned chickpeas for this?
Hello, Good People,
This looks so doable and delicious! Sadly, I am allergic to coconut anything. Would there be another ingredient for a swap that might yield a similar end product? Thank you again for the vegan inspo! I pop back to PUL time and again for all things yummy and creative. Cheers, sadie
Made this a few times, outstanding!
Lost my big casserole dish ... is there a way to cook this in a slow cooker?
We make this once or twice a month and add the suggested cauliflower. It then allows us to eat it for lunch the day after since it's more than enough. And curry is always so good the day after :)
My whole kitchen smelled like an Indian restaurant for a whole day but that was WORTH it. The consistency was so creamy and yummy, i will definitely make it again in the future. When i saw the split peas in my asian food store i had to get it, because i saw Sadia use it in a recipe. I’m so glad i did that. Since i also had carrots and spinach at home and had to use them up, i added it to the recipe. Definitely works here.
Thank you for the great recipe!
Delicious! Super easy. Tip: soak/freeze chana dal in bulk then defrost and use as you need.
You've missed out salt in the written recepie 😊
Hi Sadia, i tried this recipe today and it was so nourishing and delicious 🤤. Thank you for sharing this wonderful dish.
I have done this recipe many times and it is always fantastic. I use an instant pot to pressure cook my chana dal beforehand because I found them really hard otherwise.
Thank you, Sadia and Pickup Limes team! All your recipes are great! ❤️
We love this recipe and its so easy to add in whatever veggies we have a home. Thank you!
Hi, I love your curries! Would I get the same results with split peas? Thanks!
P.S. For some reason, I can't subscribe for your newsletters, I am using the link but can't find the box where to write down my e-mail.....
This is so tasty! I am new to the curry world and really loved this one. Its really nourishing, feel-good kind of food. Thank you so much for this recipe!
I had never made any type of curry before but this was so simple and so delicious.
Definitely a must have on anyone's go-to recipes.
A real comfort food type of dish.
As soon as we made this it became a go-to recipe in our house. It's SO SO good! It's warm and comforting (perfect for winter), but we actually discovered it in summer and it's equally as enjoyable in the hot weather.
This is my go-to curry (I use lentils) and I think I make maybe once a month. So good with so much flavor! Love it!
Sooo good and easy to make.
I looove curries, but I always thought they are heavy and difficult to prepare. But this vegan option is so light and easy to prepare that I loved it from the first try.
It's always the best option when I want something quick, warm and nourishing. 💚
I bought chana dal for the first time for this recipe and. Oh. My. Goodness!
Now I have a 3kg bag of them in my pantry to make this recipe whenever I want! It is really good!
This is amazing! I don't even know how it tastes with chana dal because I didn't find any. But it is still tasty when you use lentils instead. And I don't put the cherry tomatoes in the end because I prefer it without.
Love this recipe, it has been my go to as of late! I make it on Sunday so that I have meals for half the week (I increase the recipe slightly, love that new feature.) I tend to add potatoes and mushrooms to it as well. So delicious, I highly recommend people trying it out 🤤
It is absolutely the most warm and creamy meal for chilly days even in summer. I make it at least once or twice in a month! Thank you :)
I loved this meal, it was so easy to make and my boyfriend who is skeptical of my daal capabilities said it was super good and would eat it again!
Sooo good
I hadn't imagined dal to be so tasty, it's one of go-to batch cooking recipe.
I’ve made this a few times now— it’s so good that I’m always tempted to drink it up straight like soup. The latest batch that I made last night was with spinach and tomato, and may be my favorite vegetable variant so far. One thing I’d add is that the instructions don’t include adding any salt. I personally add a few large pinches (maybe 1-1.5 T?) of kosher salt to the batch, preferably when the bouillon is added.