Dal Bukhara – Indian vegetarian comfort food – beluga lentils in creamy tomato curry from the Aarti Paarti Cookbook. Can be made dairy or dairy-free, vegan.
This weekend, I’ll be speaking on a panel at the TECHmunch LA Food Blogger Conference discussing food and culture (if you’re a Southern California-based blogger, please come– it should be a great time!). One of my co-panelists, Aarti Sequeira, has a new cookbook out that I’ve been meaning to share with you all. With this conference on the horizon and cultural cooking on my mind, this seemed a perfect time to put Aarti in the spotlight! Aarti is a Food Network star and the author of Aarti Paarti, a fabulous collection of some of her favorite recipes. She has a delightful way of weaving her own unique cultural experience into her cooking– she was born in Mumbai and raised in Dubai. This fascinating childhood informed her culinary creativity, resulting in fabulous Indian-inspired dishes with a distinct Middle Eastern influence. Most of Aarti’s recipes are accompanied by thoughtful stories and anecdotes, which I appreciate… the story behind the dish is always my favorite part. The photos are beautiful and colorful, a celebration of Aarti’s unique, global style of cooking. I had a difficult time choosing just one dish to make!
Though many of the recipes caught my eye, I decided on Dal Bukhara, a creamy tomato curry dish made with beluga lentils. I can only assume they’re called beluga lentils because these tiny black lentils look so much like caviar! Aarti first tasted this dish on a day trip to the Taj Mahal, and was inspired to create her own version when she got back home. Like most Indian dishes, the spices are key here– she toasts them whole to release their aroma, then grinds them before adding them to the dish. While it might seem like a lot to go through for one recipe, every good thing in life is worth a bit of extra effort. I only made a couple of small changes from Aarti’s original recipe– I subbed Earth Balance for ghee/butter and full fat coconut milk for cream. This made the dish vegan/dairy-free without compromising much on flavor. Of course the cream is absolutely decadent, if you’re in the mood I wouldn’t hesitate to splurge! I served mine over white jasmine rice and it was absolutely divine, a delicious vegan entree.
Aarti won the sixth season of Food Network Star and she is now the host of her own cooking show, Aarti Party. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should definitely check it out! Aarti is a doll and her recipes are inspired. Find her cookbook here. Enjoy!
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Dal Bukhara
Ingredients
Spice Mix Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 1-inch piece cassia or cinnamon stick
- 4 whole cloves
- 2 green cardamom pods, seeds removed and pods discarded
- 2 dried chiles de árbol
- 2 teaspoons paprika
Lentil Ingredients
- 4 cups water, plus 3 cups hot water
- 1 cup black beluga lentils, picked over for pebbles and rinsed
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 tablespoon ghee, unsalted butter or dairy-free butter substitute (use butter substitute to keep vegan)
- 1 whole yellow onion, finely diced (about 2 cups)
- Kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons grated, peeled fresh ginger
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 14.5 ounces diced fire-roasted tomatoes (1 can)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or full fat coconut milk (I used coconut milk to keep this dish dairy free/vegan)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, to garnish
NOTES
Instructions
- To make the spice mix, warm a small skillet over medium heat. Add the coriander, cumin and fennel seeds, along with the cassia (or cinnamon), cloves, cardamom seeds and chiles. Toast the spices, stirring and shaking the pan frequently, for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Snap the dried chiles in half and shake the seeds into the trash.
- Transfer the chiles and the rest of the toasted spices along with the paprika into a spice grinder. Grind to a fine powder.
- To make the lentils, bring the 4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the rinsed lentils and return the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and put the lid on ajar. Cook the lentils for 10 to 12 minutes, until al dente. Drain and set aside.Meanwhile, warm the oil and ghee (or butter substitute) in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until just shimmering. Add the onion and season with a big pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until golden brown and just short of being caramelized, about 8 minutes.
- Add the ginger and garlic to the pan and cook for 30 seconds (add a little water if they start to stick to the bottom of the pan). Add the diced tomatoes and spice mix. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes, until most of the water has evaporated and the entire mixture holds together as one mass, and even starts to stick to the bottom.Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a minute more, stirring often.
- Add the lentils, the 3 cups hot water and 3/4 tsp kosher salt. Stir, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cover. Cook for 30 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Stir in the cream or coconut milk, taste for salt, and garnish with cilantro. Aarti suggests adding a pat of butter to "royal it up" even more!
Nutrition
This was an absolutely sensational recipe! Thank you thank you thank you ! I did use a few short cuts with ground spices and already made lentils. But on the whole, this was utterly perfect!
Tori,
I am hosting my 1st Shabbat for more than just immediate family… I love the idea of challah and dips, and this looks and sounds great! Can I substitute ground cardamom for the seeds? How much? TIA! BTW, love everything I’ve ever made of yours…
Great idea Bethel! You can substitute 1/8 tsp of ground cardamom for the pods.
One of my favorite dal dishes and this recipe is the best version I’ve found so far. Timings are a bit optimistic (esp if grinding spices with mortar & pestle), but we’ll worth the effort!
Definitely a beautiful dish! As my husband is from that part of the world, dal is a frequent thing in our house. He is the one who taught me to cook Indian food and thus the final taste tester around here!
However, as a physician, extreme health “nut”, researcher and Paleo advocate, I must object to the use of any of the common vegetable oils, especially the butter substitutes. The Omega acid profiles of these are inflammatory, being way too high in omega 6 which the body does not like and which over time can be a problem. I know, I am a real geek but after my own health crisis I had to cover all bases! So those of you crazy enough to not use butter (grass fed of course), I would recommend coconut oil.
Last but not least, this is Indian food so eat it with Basmati rice (if you eat rice) for cryin’ out loud!
Thanks for all your wonderful recipes!
Dr. Cynthia,
Wow, thanks for that interesting information! So do you find butter to be healthier than canola and olive oil for cooking?
Thanks!!
Another five star recipe, Tori! I am partial to curry but usually make it with meat. This was fantastic! I will eat it as a main dish but my son will eat it as a side dish.
I didn’t have coriander or cumin seeds but did have them in ground form. I kept the ground spices out of the pan for fear I would gas myself and it worked out perfectly. I also didn’t have chiles de arbol so used some dried jalapenos from my garden. I like the heat so only cleaned out 1/2 of the seeds.
Another of your recipes will be added to my regular rotation. Thank you again!
Kendall
Whoops, bell peppers are nightshades.
I found this about nightshades from Dr. Ballantyne http://www.thepaleomom.com/2013/08/what-are-nightshades.html
Maybe beets would be good?
HI. we dont do nightshades. so what can substitute for the tomato?? TIA
Red Bell Peppers would be great, too!
I have tricolor lentils or regular…..is there that much difference?
I used red lentils because I couldn’t find any black in Yucca Valley. I’ll order some online.
I’ve made this recipe – it’s fantastic!
I am just finished making this recipe and it is sooooo good!
Tori, I just had Veggie Shorba (pretty much the same thing as your & Aarti’s Dal Bukhara) at Sam’s in Joshua Tree, California, yesterday. I haven’t had Indian food in years and then you post this recipe today. You’re psychic, I swear.
I will make homemade Naan to go with it tomorrow.
I used Rice Bran Oil, as it is the healthiest cooking oil available, has the highest smoke point of any oil (so great for sauteeing, frying or salad dressings even), plus it is less expensive than the other oils if you get it from gwsfoods.com.
I’m growing certified organic Turmeric on my farm, so I used fresh rhizomes and probably quadrupled the amount, but it relieves my inflammation when I consume about an inch of Turmeric in my food or make a tea with that much in it.
I cannot thank you enough for posting this recipe.
So happy you enjoyed it Alicia! You would really like Aarti’s cookbook, lots of turmeric used throughout the book. 🙂
Try the real daal Bukhara and Punjabi daal makhni Trust me..you’ll be surprised.
sounds wonderfully flavorful
mmm
Saved for a cool, Autumn eve, with the perfect spices to warm us. Thank you!
love to eat