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Eggplant Dal
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- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- ¼cup neutral oil, such as safflower or canola
- 1cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 1large eggplant (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
- Salt and black pepper
- 2tablespoons ghee
- 1tablespoon minced garlic
- 1tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1red or green serrano chile, finely chopped
- 2teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1teaspoon ground coriander
- 1medium tomato, cut into ¼-inch pieces
- 1cup red lentils, rinsed
- Chopped cilantro and basmati rice or naan, for serving
Preparation
- Step 1
In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium. Add onion and eggplant, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is softened and starting to break down, about 8 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons water and stir up the browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Cook until all of the water is absorbed, then transfer eggplant mixture to a bowl.
- Step 2
Melt ghee in the pot over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger, chile, cumin seeds and coriander, and stir constantly until fragrant (be careful not to burn), about 30 seconds. Add tomato and cook, stirring occasionally, until completely broken down and lightly caramelized, about 8 minutes. Stir in eggplant mixture.
- Step 3
Add lentils and 3 cups water to the pot, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until lentils are tender and mixture is thickened, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Step 4
Divide dal among bowls and garnish with cilantro. Serve with rice or naan.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
A half teaspoon of ground cardamom in the spice mixture and Juice of a whole lemon at the end of cooking really brightens this dish
This was tasty but needed a bit more oomph. I followed the recipe to the letter except I didn’t have ghee…subbed unsalted butter instead. I wound up adding a bit more garlic and some garam masala to perk it up a bit. Served it with naan and I’m sure leftovers will improve in the fridge.
Simpler version is to start the second step with just Masoor dal and water to cook the lentils half way, then adding tomatoes, and when lentils are cooked almost all the way but not all the way adding a tsp of tamarind juice extracted by squeezing tamarind soaked in hot water and also the egg plant mixture.Adding hot chilli powder as per your preference kicks it up a notch. Tadka (mustard seeds,cumin seeds,fresh crushed garlic and a few curry leaves spluttered in hot oil) to be added at the end.
First! Was missing a little something. Subbed the chili with red pepper flakes, but it was really missing a little kick or a little tang or a little spice.
Per others suggestions, I doubled all the spices and added 1 t of garam masala, 1 t of crushed red pepper, and 1 t turmeric. Used coconut oil instead of ghee and 2 medium tomatoes. Only added 2 1/2 c water vs 3 cups. Added eggplant and onions back in after lentils had cooked. Loved it!
I would use a neutral-flavored oil like sunflower or, alternatively, use coconut oil. Olive oil has a strong flavor that often does not work with Indian dishes.
I decided that his needed a punch before eating it or reading the reviews. I added juice of 1 lemon, Garam Marsala, turmeric and chili flakes. This definitely gave it flavor. I would also recommend not using 3 cups of water, it makes it too watery. 2 cups should be enough to cook the lentils. If I make again, I think I will add the eggplant after the lentils are cooked, I did not like the mushy nature of the dish.
I adapted this for the instant pot. After I sauteed the eggplant I added tomato paste instead of sauteeing fresh tomatoes, then added the water and lentils and pressure cooked on high for 4 minutes. Used the saute function at the end to reduce the moisture. I agree that it needed more oomph...I'll add more spices and garlic next time.
After reading it was a little bland, I added an extra tsp of each seasoning, as well as a heaping tablespoon of garam masala. I also added a chicken breast I needed to use up along with the eggplant and onion, which I’m sure added some depth of flavor. Very tasty, would make again!
If you want to appear authentic (or get closer to authentic), serve it either with rice OR with bread. NEVER with both.
Agree that the dish needed some “tang”! I added the juice of one mandarin orange, and I think I should have added a bit more. But regardless, it was delicious and a perfect healthy and hearty Sunday dinner
Disappointing. Very dull. Sorry!
This was very delicious with a few tweaks. Increased cumin & coriander by 50% and added 1/2 tsp of cardamom and lemon juice to finish as suggested by others. Great use of garden eggplants over brown basmati rice.
Others have noted that this dish is bland and not punchy enough, but dal is not meant to be a super punchy dish in most cases… this is a great comfort food. Nourishing, rich, and delicate. Highly recommend for a rainy day or for when you are sick. Very good!
We juiced the spice and added some citrus and found it delicious. Even made breakfast patties out of the leftovers and topped with a fresh tomato slice and a fried egg for a yum breakfast.
I added a can of ro-tel tomatoes with chilis instead of a chopped tomato and simmered with the lid off instead of on. Otherwise followed the recipe as is. It was amazing!
I took others advice and upped the spices and added garam masala, I can’t recommend it. I probably won’t make this recipe again, but if I do I’ll stick to the recipe.
Made this for dinner tonight. Per previous comments I doubled the garlic, ginger, cumin seeds, coriander & added 1/2 Tsp. grd. cardamom to the spice blend. Not sure if I used a Cubanelle or Serrano pepper as they looked similar in the store. Prior to serving, I added a few spurts of RealLemon juice into the skillet. Served with basmati rice & I added a Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro into the rice. I served it on a plate from my 12” skillet & the adding of fresh cilantro really made the dish pop.
Have to agree did not think this had enough flavor, but cummin and Corriander are a tad old. I ended up dumping in some garam masala. Wish I had lemon in the house. Makes a boat load.
Following others’ advice, increased cumin and coriander, added crushed red pepper, reduced water to about 2 1/2 cups, and squeezed in a lemon at the end. But in addition— searching for a base note— I added a teaspoon of anchovy paste. Just delicious.
Like most of NYT's recipes, this is what I call the "base recipe." I find that I must ALWAYS double, if not triple, the seasonings otherwise the food is bland. I wonder if that is by design?
Quite delicious. As many suggested, I added about a teaspoon of garam masala.
Due to allergies, we don't eat eggplant. So we made this with sweet potatoes, and it was delicios. Just needed a little extra squeeze of lemon juice because of the sweetnees.
Lovely base...needs more spices. We used coconut milk as well, which was terrific. I'd add this to my "what I want when I'm sick at home" list as well.
This is a great recipe, but my one note would be to cook the lentils separately and add the cooked lentils in step 3, rather than uncooked lentils. This is mainly to prevent the eggplant from fully disintegrating before the lentils reach the desired level of softness. Also every dal recipe is made better by adding a tadka (tempering) of oil, mustard and cumin seeds, asafoetida (if desired), and chilis at the very end.
This was a bland waste of an eggplant. Not sure why I didn't trust my instincts here, but things that *might* have improved this if I had gone with my gut: 1. Try to reduce moisture in the eggplant prior to cooking. 2. Caramelize the eggplant and onion - this needed brown flavors. 3. SO MUCH MORE SEASONING - at least triple what the recipe calls for, and more than just cumin and coriander for the dry stuff. Use curry powder. 4. Tomato paste instead of a fresh tomato.
This meal tastes like absolutely nothing. It’s a textural experience only.
I listened to the comments, and added more, heat, acidity and soy sauce.
This is a great outline, add what you will..in my case methi and lemon juice. Served as a side with broiled lamb chops and a 3 minute cucumber raita and some major grey type chutney. Watch the time on your lentils, I thought I had French but they were something else and were al dente to say the least. Also a lot of liquid left in the pot, ok if over rice but needed a straining spoon to serve as a side.
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