Slow Cooker Red Dal Recipe
Slow Cooker Red Dal and Indian Red Curry Paste
'Curried' Red Lentils
Submitted By: Taz
Slow Cooker Red Dal
Ingredients:
2 Cups Whole Red Lentils (Saabut Masoor Dal) - picked and rinsed
1 (29 oz) Can Tomato Purée (Tamatar)
1 Large Onion (Pyaz) - diced
2 cloves Fresh Garlic (Leh-sun) - minced
½ inch piece Fresh Ginger (Adrak) - minced
¼ Cup Unsweetened Coconut Milk (Nariyal ka Doodh)
3 Tbs Indian Red Curry Paste - recipe follows
2 Tbs Salted Butter (Makhan)
2 tsp
Garam Masala
¾ tsp Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
½ tsp Red Chile Powder (Lal Mirchi) - amount to taste
1 tsp Kosher Salt (Namak) or to taste
1 tsp Olive or Canola Oil
⅛ tsp Asafoetida (Hing)
Preparation:
- Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat - Add asafoetida and sauté for 1 minute - Remove from heat and transfer to the crock of a 5 quart slow cooker (Crock-Pot®)
- Place all remaining ingredients (minus coconut milk) in slow cooker - Fill tomato purée can with water and add to mixture making sure that lentils are completely submerged (add more water if necessary) - Stir to thoroughly combine
- Cook on low for 7-9 hours or on high for 4-6 hours (check once or twice during cooking and add additional water if it looks like all of the liquid is being soaked up by lentils) until lentils are tender and desired consistency is achieved (final dish should be thick not 'soupy')
- Stir in coconut milk - Adjust seasoning
- Serve hot on its own or over basmati rice garnished with some chopped fresh coriander (Dhania Patta)
Indian Red Curry Paste
Ingredients:
4 Tbs Olive or Canola Oil
1 Small Onion (Pyaz) - finely diced
5 cloves Fresh Garlic (Leh-sun) - grated into a paste
1 ½ inch piece Fresh Ginger (Adrak) – grated into a paste
4 Roma Tomatoes (Tamatar) = 1 Cup - finely chopped
4 tsp Ground Coriander (Dhania)
1-4+ tsp Red Chile Powder (Lal Mirchi)*
1 tsp Dried Mango Powder (Amchoor)
1 tsp Kosher Salt (Namak)
¾ tsp Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
½ tsp Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
½ tsp
Garam Masala
* Add 1 tsp for Mild, 2-3 tsp for Medium, 4+ tsp for Hot curry paste - adjust to personal taste
Preparation:
- Heat oil until shimmering in a heavy bottomed pan over high heat - Reduce heat to medium and add onion to pan and allow to cook until golden brown (apx 6-8 minutes)
- Add garlic, ginger and cumin seeds and continue to cook for 1 minute
- Reduce heat to low and add tomatoes, ground coriander, red chile powder, and turmeric powder - Allow to cook (stirring regularly) until the oil begins to separate from the mix (can be seen 'pooling' around the edges) - This process will take 10 to 15 minutes DO NOT RUSH THIS STEP (if you begin to see sticking, add a little water [apx a teaspoon at a time] to the pan making sure to cook out all added water by the end) the slow cooking allows the curry paste to develop its flavor and to acquire its rich, deep, red-brown coloring
- Once the oil has separated and the paste has reduced down - Remove from heat and add the garam masala, dried mango powder, and salt - Mix to thoroughly combine
- Allow mixture to cool to room temperature and use immediately or transfer to container(s) for storage - Can be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to a week or frozen for up to 2 months
