Lentil curry seasoned with dill
Fresh dill adds a wonderful flavour, freshness and aroma to the simple moong dal curry. Yellow lentils are one of the easiest dals to cook. Add a bowl of rice to this suva moong dal and you have a quick and healthy dinner.
My body and soul is fairly content with a simple moong dal and rice meal. It doesn’t take much to make these little yellow lentils that are delicious, cook super quickly, and are super healthy.
Health Benefits of Moong dal
Did you know, pulses are small but densely packed with proteins? Rich in complex carbohydrates, micronutrients, proteins and B-vitamins; lentils are a vital part of a healthy diet. They are also great meat alternatives.
Yellow moong dal is an easy to digest lentil, which is why it also very commonly eaten when people are recovering from any sickness.
The flavour and nuntrition of this dal is further enhanced by adding dill, which is rich in Vitamin A, C, dietary fibre and essential minerals like iron, and manganese.
Dill, called suva in hindi, is not used commonly used in Indian cuisine and I really wonder why. I, myself, didn’t use dill too often in my cooking while I was in India. Somehow I stayed away from exploring this delicate, feathery green leaf for quite some time. Whenever I saw it in the market, I would say to myself that I need to try it but then I won’t. Probably because growing up, I don’t remember dill being used in any of our regular Indian dishes.
It was only after I left India, that I really discovered dill. I started by seasoning yogurt dips and salad dressings with dill. And slowly I added it to cooked dishes, first in soups and then also in Indian curries. Fresh dill doesn’t need to be cooked for long so add it almost at the end, when the lentils are cooked, for deep flavour and aroma. Like all herbs, fresh dill has more intense flavour but you can use dried dill also in the recipe. If you like this recipe, please take a moment to rate it and/or leave your comments at the end of the blog. It will really encourage me to keep exploring, learning and improving.
Suva Moong dal | Dill & Lentil curry
Ingredients (1cup = 240ml; 1tbsp = 15ml; 1tsp = 5ml)
- ½ cup yellow moong dal/ lentil washed & soaked for 30 mins
- 2 tsp ghee clarified butter
- 1 pinch asafoetida optional
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 green chilli finely chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic smashed, peeled & chopped
- 1 tomato chopped
- Salt to taste
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 8-10 stalks fresh dill
- 1 lemon juiced
Instructions
- Drain the soaked dal. Place in a deep pot with 1½ cups water and a little salt. Put on medium-high heat and let it cook till the dal is soft and cooked through.
- During the same time heat ghee in a kadhai/wok. Add asafoetida and cumin seeds. When the seeds start to sputter, add chillies and garlic. Sauté for a minute till the garlic just starts to turn brown.
- Add the tomatoes, salt and turmeric powder. Mix well and cook for about 5 mins with occasional stirring.
- Remove the thick stalks from the fresh dill leaves and roughly chop them.
- By this time, the moong dal would be cooked. Remove the dal from heat and carefully add to the tomato mixture in the kadhai. Mix well and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Mix in the chopped dill leaves and cook for another couple of minutes.
- Remove from heat, add in the lemon juice and serve hot with brown rice.
Notes
- I prefer the Suva moong dal a little thicker than usual dal, but add more water for a thinner consistency.
- Fresh dill loses it’s flavour by longer cooking, so it is important that it’s added in the end.
Lentils can be prepared in many ways – curries, soups, salads, crepes and even puddings. Click on the image below to explore lentil recipes:
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[…] before having grown it myself, I have to say, I probably would have mistaken a fennel plant for a dill/Suva […]