In Malaysia, Dhal is probably the most classic dish to pair with roti, rice and more. This simple lentil curry is satisfying and delicious.
This dhal doesn’t have any strong flavours and it isn’t spicy at all, so it pairs well with many dishes. We dip our roti canai in it, drench our rice with dhal and other spicier curries… My family (we’re a little gravy crazy) always asks for extra bowls.
I only realised after going vegan that dhal is a high protein dish, thanks to malawi dhal! Lentils are a relatively cheap source of plant-based protein, and a great alternative for those who might want to avoid soy-based products like tofu. I personally love tofu, but it’s good to have different protein sources for a change 🙂
Chana dhal VS Malawi dhal
People often confuse between the two, because they look pretty identical. However, they are both split versions of different beans. Chana dhal takes forever to break down, whereas malawi dhal breaks down easily to thicken up the curry.
Make sure you use malwai dhal. You can soak it for 20 minutes to speed up the cooking process, but I usually skip the presoak.
The dhal you’d get outside tends to be more watery. I made a thicker dhal here, but you can add more water if you like.
Pair this dhal curry with roti canai for a satiating meal.
If you made this recipe, do leave a comment and rating below because I love hearing your feedback. Make sure to tag me on Instagram @eatwkriss so that I can see your recreations!
Dhal (Malaysian Lentil Curry)
Ingredients
Dhal
- 1 red onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp turmeric
- ½ tbsp curry powder
- 1 tomatoes chopped
- 1 potato peeled, medium dice
- 1 carrot medium dice
- ¾ cup malawi dhal
- 3 cups water more to taste
- 1½ tsp salt more to taste
Spices
- 1 tbsp oil
- ½ tbsp mustard seed
- 1 tsp fennel seed/jintan manis
- 3 dried chili
- 1 stalk curry leaves
Instructions
Cook the dhal
- Rinse and drain malawi dhal a few times.
- In a pot over medium heat with some oil, fry onions until soft and fragrant. Add in minced garlic, turmeric powder and curry powder. Cook for 1 minute then add in tomato, potato, carrot, dhal and water. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid and let simmer for 1 hour. Stir occasionally to prevent the lentils from burning.
Temper the spices
- Heat a small pan with some oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add in mustard seed. Once it crackles, add in fennel seed, curry leaves and dried chili. Fry for a few minutes until fragrant.
- Pour everything into the dhal, and season with salt to taste.
- Serve warm with roti canai or rice.
Notes
I didn’t have some of the spices like fennel/mustard seeds but it still tastes delicious! It makes a lovely pairing with any carbs. Leftovers are awesome as it gets more flavourful overnight
yay im glad you liked it! leftovers ALWAYS taste better haha, thank you for your review renee <3
Delicious. I used split mung beans as whenever ive tried split peas and channa dhal i cook for hours and theyre still like bullets. Threw a bit of spinach and cauli in at end. I shall make this a lot
thank you stephanie! cauliflower in dhal sounds amazing, im glad you liked the recipe 🙂
Super flavourful and tasted better after a day ! Will refer to this recipe again should I crave dhal again. Thank you Kris!
You’re most welcome <3 I'm so glad you enjoyed it!