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+ servings
a white bowl of cooked yellow split pea with roti on the side
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4.97 from 90 votes

Delicious Yellow Split Pea Dal

A creamy, warm and hearty meal of yellow split pea dal, flavored with a sauce of tomato, spices, and onion. Enjoy on its own, with rice, or with steamed potatoes and a side of fresh vegetables. Vegan and gluten-free.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 376kcal
Author: Janelle Hama

Equipment

Ingredients

Yellow Split Peas Dal

  • 2 cups yellow split pea dal
  • 6 cups Water 5 cups for cooking dal, one as a spare to adjust consistency
  • ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon Salt adjusted to taste
  • ½ teaspoon Garam masala
  • 1 handful Coriander roughly chopped

Tomato and Onion Sauce

  • 1 medium Onion finely diced
  • 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
  • ¾ teaspoon Fenugreek seeds
  • 2-3 medium Tomatoes chopped small
  • centimeters Fresh ginger finely chopped
  • 4-5 cloves Garlic crushed
  • 4-8 tablespoons Water use the amount needed for sweating onions if not using oil
  • 1 handful Coriander Cilantro. Roughly chopped.
  • 1 small Red chilli chopped - optional

Instructions

Yellow Split Pea

  • Add the yellow split peas, water and salt in a large pot and bring to a boil on high heat. 
    Turn heat down to medium - low and allow to simmer for 45 minutes without the lid. You will need to skim off the froth a couple of times. Around the 40 minute mark, stir in turmeric powder, garam masala and half of the chopped coriander (cilantro).

Sauce

  • In a frypan/skillet over med-high, add optional 1-2 tablespoons olive oil (just leave out if not using oil), and cumin and fenugreek seeds. Heat up until the aroma is released, by stirring. 
    If using oil, add the diced onion and sweat until they are translucent. 
    If you’re not using oil, add 4 tablespoons of water with onion and sweat until they are translucent and start to change color.
    Stir in the garlic and ginger and then add the diced tomatoes and cook them down for about 15-20 minutes on medium heat. You may need to add more tablespoons of water.

Combining

  • Once the dal is completely cooked, it should be goopy, add the aromatic sauce to the yellow split peas dal and stir through thoroughly. Taste to see if you'd like to adjust the salt. Serve warm.

Video

Notes

Serving - 4 large portions or 6 small portions.
Wash the split peas prior to cooking.
Check the split peas every so often and give them a stir, if you feel it could do with a little bit more water, add some.
You can macerate the dal once it is cooked by using masher. This will help break it up. However, I find that this isn't necessary as it is well cooked.
Storage  - this dal recipe is also perfect as leftovers, I find the flavor to be better infused the next day. Store in an air-tight container in your fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
As the dal cools down, it will thicken up considerably.
 
You may also be interested in:
Lentil Porridge
Lebanese lentil soup

Nutrition

Calories: 376kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 623mg | Potassium: 1251mg | Fiber: 27g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 803IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 6mg