Mango Dal: Indian-spiced split pea dal with mango. This interesting variation to your everyday lentil dish is colorful, flavorful, subtly sweet, savory, and hearty. In addition, it’s gluten and soy-free!
By now, can you totally tell that I have a thing for Indian cuisine? My first Indian style dish I’ve ever made was at the start of my vegan journey 3 years ago. It was spinach curry with brown rice. It was delicious, however, not what I was expecting as I compared it to the spinach curry I’ve eaten at restaurants before. I cooked I again and again until my heart was content with the flavor.
Speaking of restaurants, my first Indian restaurant experience was about 7 years ago. It was an all you can eat buffet here in Long Beach, CA. I filled up on different types of biryanis, an assortment of naan bread, curried lentils, masala, samosas, gulab jamun, you name it, I ate it! OMG let me tell you…I ate soooo much–in fact–I don’t even think I was hungry the next day! I fell in love with the assortment of spices used in the dishes. So in love that I currently keep a myriad of spices in my pantry to cater to my Indian cuisine habit. In fact, my taste buds crave an Indian-Style dish at least once a week. And this Mango Dal was this week’s chosen dish.
With all of my Indian food experience, I can’t believe I’ve never ran into Mango Dal before! I saw the dish featured in a youtube video and began to do research on how to create such a tasty looking masterpiece in my own kitchen. And tasty it was! It was the perfect combo of subtly sweet, savory, spicy, and “WOW!” I paired it with coconut rice and used cilantro as a garnish.
This recipe is super easy to make and amazingly tasty! You have the option to use other veggies or fruits like apples or squash. You can even use red lentils (shorter cook time) or chickpeas (longer cooking time).
More Indian-Style recipes here on the blog:
Spaghetti with Spicy Tomato Sauce
Red Lentil Curry and Spiced Eggplant
Recipe
Mango Dal: Indian Style Split Peas with Mango
Ingredients
- 1.25 cups yellow split peas
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon tumeric
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil or canola oil
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds or 1.5 teaspoons mustard seed powder
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 medium onion (chopped) or 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon ginger powder
- ¼ teaspoon curry powder
- 1.5 cups diced tomatoes can use canned tomatoes
- 4 teaspoons diced green chiles I used canned
- 2 mangos peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- ½ cup fresh cilantro finely chopped
Instructions
- Rinse and drain split peas until the water runs clear. Combine split peas, 4 cups water, salt, and turmeric in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20-35 minutes or until split peas are soft.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in another pan (medium heat). Add cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Saute for about 20 seconds.
- Add onion and cook until softened. Add garlic and continue to cook (about 2 minutes). Add remainder of spices and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Stir in tomatoes and green chilies to spice mixture and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Pour this mixture over the boiled split peas and stir until combined.
- Stir in chopped mangos and bring pot to a boil (adding more water if lentils are too thick). Turn heat down to simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes more or until it reaches desired consistency.
- Stir in vegan butter and cilantro. Taste. Add more salt if needed and adjust spices to your liking if needed. You can even spice blends like garam masala for more flavor! Served with rice, veggies, or flatbread.
Notes
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