Dal Adas (Spicy Red Lentil Tamarind Soup)
- Total Time
- 50 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:6 servings
- 3tablespoons ghee or extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 6large garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1(2-inch) piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
- 12fresh cilantro sprigs, leaves set aside for garnish and stems finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
- 2teaspoons ground cumin
- 1teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½teaspoon ground cayenne, or to taste
- 1tablespoon tomato paste
- 2cups red lentils, rinsed
- ½teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 to 2tablespoons tamarind paste or lime juice, plus more as needed
- Flatbread or plain white rice (optional), for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
314 calories; 8 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 17 grams protein; 260 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
In a large pot, heat the ghee or oil over medium-high. Add the onion, reduce the heat to medium and cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until golden and a little browned around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, add the garlic, ginger and cilantro stems. Add a little more ghee or oil if your pot seems dry. Season with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Step 2
Stir in the cumin, turmeric and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook in the oil to take off its raw edge and deepen its color, stirring frequently and taking care not to burn the paste, about 1 minute.
- Step 3
Add the lentils and stir to combine. Add 8 cups of water and season with salt (about 1½ tablespoons) and black pepper to taste. Partially cover, raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover completely, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot, until the lentils soften, about 15 minutes.
- Step 4
Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cinnamon. Add the tamarind paste or lime juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, tasting as you go to ensure it hits just the right bright and tangy notes to balance the heat. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes more, until all the flavors meld.
- Step 5
Garnish with the reserved cilantro leaves and serve with flatbread or rice, if desired.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Jewels
This was really simple with amazing flavour, I served it over smashed potatoes mixed with cumin seed and serrano sautéed in ghee and chili cilantro pita on the side. A few caveats, I made some adjustments based on what I had on hand: not enough turmeric so I used some hot curry powder and reduced the cayenne and cinnamon accordingly. Additionally, I used tamarind chutney, which is less harsh than tamarind paste, so I used about 1/4 cup. More garlic and ginger would be welcome, too. Quick lunch
Faith
This was delicious! I went with less water to make it more stew like. The layers of flavor are wonderful. I didn’t have tamarind paste so I used lime juice instead. I used three small limes, about 4 tablespoons worth. The stew really sucked up the brightness. So good! I also stirred in two cups of frozen peas at the end to boost it nutritionally. I served it over white rice, but tomorrow I’ll make brown rice to make it a perfect vegan meal(I used olive oil and not ghee).
Jewels
Two cups red lentils, rinsed. It's listed between the tomato paste and cinnamon.
Shrimp Loaf
The ingredient list calls for tamarind paste but the accompanying text suggests using tamarind concentrate. These are different products, and I wonder which the author intended.
alacarte
I used 6 cups of water to make it more stew like and cut the salt to 1 tablespoon (says 1 1/2 tablespoons in step 3). Now I am wondering if that was a typo and they meant *teaspoons* because mine came out too salty, otherwise very good.
PerryC
Followed the recipe almost to the letter. Used olive oil instead of ghee, and as another cook suggested, used tamarind chutney instead of paste/concentrate (just upped the quantity). Wanted to have a thicker soup, so I reduced the amount of water by 1 cup. You could definitely reduce by 2 cups if you want a more stew-like result. I agree that that the amount salt seemed excessive, so I used 1 1/2 teaspoons instead of tablespoons. Plenty! Good with potatoes and peas the next day. Very tasty!
Miggity
About 3,000
Mary in Knoxville
This is a perfect recipe. Simple to make. Perfectly seasoned. Use ghee, not olive oil. Use tamarind concentrate, not lime. Tamarind concentrate is packaged in a cellophane wrapper in brick form. Remove 1 cup of broth from pot and put into a bowl with 2 TBS of tamarind concentrate. Work the tamarind so that it melds into the broth. Return all to the pot.
Lex
used 4.5 cups of water and now it's a lovely daal. Also made the cardamom cumin rice to accompany it and it was delicious. Tastes like something you'd get in a restaurant
JW
I must be missing something. I made the recipe exactly per instructions (save reducing the salt...I knew that amount had to be wrong), but I would say it is so-so. I agree with others that 8 cups of water seems a lot, so perhaps that's affecting my enjoyment of it. I love lentils and tamarind, so I will eat this, but I won't make it again.
Bruce
Added honey at the end which balanced the cayenne and gave a somewhat more complex flavor.
Garrett
Delicious! I used split lentils, lime juice, and refrigerated minced ginger, still came out great. I'll double it and freeze half next time.
Peggy
I used different lentils because I thought I had red lentils, but didn't. It tasted awful. Make sure you are using red lentils. Had to throw away the tasteless slop away.
Fran B
After reading all the comments, I decided to reduce liquid to 6 cups (2 water, 4 veg stock), and used 2.5 cups of red lentils, just to use them all up. I sauteed 1 stalk of celery and 1 carrot, finely chopped, with the onion and bumped up the cumin to 1 Tbsp, and heaping spoons of the other spices. Used about 3 Tbsp of tomato paste, and 3 Tbsp of tamarind paste as well, and added a 1/2 tsp of ground cardamom with the cinnamon. Served with jasmine rice as that's what we had. Will make again.
Kat
Has anyone tried to freeze this? Does it freeze and defrost ok?
Andy Mehrotra
Good, easy - everyone liked it!
H
Really good vegetarian option. Needed extra tamarind paste, cinnamon, and cayenne. I also cut the water by 1 cup, don't care for soupy dal. Turned out great! I especially like the use of the cilantro stems, as they usually end up on the compost heap. Will def make again.
nicole
I have not made Naz Deravian's version of this dish - but it looks great! I was just delighted and surprised to see someone had published a recipe for dal adas. My grandmother was from Abadan, and she made this dish for us often. Her version was much simpler: onion, garlic, tomato paste, red lentils, and the tamarind concentrate (salt, too, of course). She died last year, so I felt compelled to share her recipe. Noush-e jan!
christian
The flavor are amazing. Next time I am reducing the salt to TEASPOONS instead of TABLESPOONS and decreasing the water as others have suggested. This time I cut the saltiness with a little sugar at the end, which took the edge off but didn’t make it sweet.
PriscillaD
So far, my favorite version of red lentil soup
Jean
Wow, this is so good I wanted to eat the whole pot!!!
Sarah W
Economical, easy, quick and SO tasty. My kids loved it, too (they're used to spicy food). I subbed garlic-ginger paste (8 t) for the cloves and root to speed up the prep. Absolutely wonderful, so comforting and nutritious.
Cesca
I used 4 cups of water as I wanted a thicker bean dish. Very pleased with the recipe-served with brown rice and charred kale for a healthy weeknight meal and for lunch the week through.
Jbroadfoot
This is exceptional..love! Per others comments…4.5 Cups water(results in great consistency), 1.5 tsp salt, 1 tbsp tamarind ( seemed the right balance). Served over raw baby spinach in the bowls, steamed snap peas and diced avocado on top. Side of naan bread. I think I might dream of this dish..lovely flavours.
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