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
Ingredients
- 100 g red lentils
- 1 eggplant cubed
- 4 Tbsps olive oil
- 1 bunch scallions chopped
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsps turmeric
- 300 ml water
- sea salt to taste
- parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large saucepan.
- Add onion and scallions and lightly fry them over medium heat, stirring frequently for 1-2 minutes.
- Add all spices.
- Add lentils and water.
- Add eggplant and cook on low heat for 20-25 minutes.
- When lentils are tender, add salt to taste and mix gently.
- Serve with fresh chopped parsley on top.
If you make this, please leave a review and rating if you liked this recipe! ★★★★★
So simple and delicious! I added some cinnamon and cayenne pepper but otherwise followed your recipe. Will make again for sure!
Thank you! So happy you liked it! 🙂
So, so good! Thank you for the recipe.
You’re welcome! Happy you liked it!
Delicious recipe. I added black pepper and double the water and used the no oil method of frying and it turned out excellent.
Sounds great, I’m happy you liked the results! <3
Yummy! Used 1/2 cup regular lentils,and I added about 1/2 more water.
Glad you liked it! 😀
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.
Sooo simple and good. It has a really special flavor (I think it’s because of the ginger) and my daughter liked it too, which actually surprised me as she doesn’t like eggplant. Delicious!
Thank you! So happy to hear this! 😀
I am new to cooking and never worked with lentils before. Are the lentils dry when put in the recipeor are they previously cooked (like canned or cooked by you)
Yes, if you use red lentils they don’t need to be previously soaked or cooked. Red lentils cook really fast.
Do you “sweat” (salt and let set for several minutes then wipe off moisture “bitterness “) the eggplant before adding to Dhal?
Nope. I used very young eggplants so they weren’t bitter at all, but you can sweat them if you want.
Do you have to cook the eggplant before you add it? I’m looking forward to trying this recipe.
Hi, Denise! Nope. Just add it raw. It will cook in the dhal.
How much lentil? Red?
Yes. In the recipe I wrote: 100g (grams) red lentils.