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Eggplant Dhal | Lentil and Eggplant Stew

Even if you’re not a big fan of Indian food, you will absolutely love this eggplant dhal recipe! It’s easy to make, budget-friendly and perfect for a family dinner! 

I can’t say I love Indian food, but I enjoy making some Indian comfort recipes from time to time. What inspired me to make this recipe was this awesome book – Vegetables | From the Earth to the Table. I absolutely LOVE it! I found an onion dhal recipe in it and adapted it to my taste. Eggplants really go great with this! 🙂

In case you didn’t know, dhal is an Indian recipe made with red lentils. It’s something like a lentil stew if you want to call it this way.

I really enjoyed its texture and mildly spicy flavor. I will definitely make this again! Eggplants give it a more “meaty” texture and it’s not all mushy. I actually didn’t expect to like this eggplant dhal that much, but I ate double servings of it! It was all gone in a day.

This eggplant dhal goes great served with these gluten-free vegan parathas. Hope you’ll like it! 🙂

eggplant dhal

Yield: 4

Eggplant Dhal

eggplant-dhal-cu-vinete-mancare-indiana

Even if you're not a big fan of Indian food, you will absolutely love this eggplant dhal recipe! It's easy to make, budget-friendly and perfect for a family dinner!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 100g (½ cup) red lentils
  • 1 medium eggplant, cubed
  • 4 Tbsps sunflower oil
  • 1 small bunch of scallions, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 tsp ginger powder
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tsps turmeric
  • 300ml (10 oz) water
  • sea salt, to taste
  • chopped parsley, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large saucepan.
  2. Add onion, garlic and scallions and lightly fry them over medium heat, stirring frequently for 1-2 minutes.
  3. Add all spices.
  4. Add lentils and water.
  5. Add eggplant and cook on low heat for 20-25 minutes.
  6. When lentils are tender, add salt to taste and mix gently.
  7. Serve with fresh chopped parsley on top.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Amount Per Serving Calories 227Total Fat 14.8gCarbohydrates 19gProtein 4.5g

Did you make this recipe?

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eggplant dhal indian food

Christine

Thursday 9th of December 2021

So simple and delicious! I added some cinnamon and cayenne pepper but otherwise followed your recipe. Will make again for sure!

Ruxandra

Thursday 10th of March 2022

Thank you! So happy you liked it! :)

Mary E Horan

Thursday 3rd of September 2020

So, so good! Thank you for the recipe.

Ruxandra

Friday 12th of February 2021

You're welcome! Happy you liked it!

Jacob

Friday 25th of January 2019

Delicious recipe. I added black pepper and double the water and used the no oil method of frying and it turned out excellent.

Ruxandra Micu

Sunday 21st of April 2019

Sounds great, I'm happy you liked the results! <3

Cyndi

Sunday 4th of November 2018

Yummy! Used 1/2 cup regular lentils,and I added about 1/2 more water.

Ruxandra Micu

Monday 5th of November 2018

Glad you liked it! :D

Celeste

Monday 3rd of September 2018

It’s 1/2 cup of red lentils with 1 1/3 cup of water. Delicious. Only fed 2. I’ll have to quadruple the recipe.

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