One Pot Indian Green Lentils

This one pot Indian Lentil Dish is inspired from a moong dal dish I get at an Indian restaurant. It’s a warming to the soul hearty lentil dish. I wanted to make this one easier/accessible for more to enjoy though, so I’m using green lentils instead of moong beans and skipped the pressure cooker/instant pot method (this does make the lentils even softer though.) I’ll leave it up to you if you want to add all of the ingedients at once to make it extra easy or saute the ginger, jalapeno, spices, and tomato a bit first. I’ve made it both ways and sauteeing of course adds a tad more flavor, but it’s still good just adding it all in.

It’s hearty enough to eat as is, but it’s extra good over basmati or jasmine rice. If you are grain free, you could always add it on top of mashed potatoes. That would be so good too!

One Pot Indian Green Lentils

Serves 6-8, depending on if you serve it with rice

Ingredients

• 1 jalapeno, finely chopped
• 1 inch chunk of raw ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 TBSP cumin
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 28 oz can chopped tomatoes, ideally without citric acid
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 TBSP tomato paste
• 16 oz / 1 pound green lentils, rinsed well
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1/2 -1 tsp salt, or to taste
• serve on top of basmati or jasmine rice or even mashed potatoes!

Method

1. Method 1 (easier) – To a large deep soup pot add everything from the jalapeno to the green lentils above (not the frozen peas or salt) and 5 1/2 cups water.
   • Method 2 (just a tad more flavor) – In a deep soup pot, saute the jalapeno and ginger in a little bit of water, stirring frequently. Next add in the cumin, garam, and turmeric; stir until fragrant. Add in the chopped tomatoes and stir for 1-2 minutes. Now add in 5 1/2 cups water, the cinnamon stick, bay leaf, TBSP tomato paste, and the rinsed green lentils.
2. Now cover the pot and bring to a rolling boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium or one below medium and cook covered for 25 minutes. At 25 minutes, stir in the 2 cups of frozen peas. Cover again and cook one notch below medium for 20 minutes, stirring it at minute 10. When the 20 minutes is up, check on it and see if any more time in needed. I usually do an additional 10 minutes here. Stir in the salt and taste. Adjust as desired. Once the lentils and peas are cooked, remove the bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Serve topped over rice. ENJOY! Note: Although this is a thicker mixture when done, add a little hot water if needed during cooking. Just a bit though as adding too much will dilute the flavor.

PIN IT:

Vegetable Lentil Curry Soup

Red Lentil Soup or “Stew”

Find me on the daily @herhealthystyle on Instagram

One Pot Indian Green Lentils

This one pot Indian Lentil Dish is inspired from a moong dal dish I get at an Indian restaurant. It’s a warming to the soul hearty lentil dish. I wanted to make this one easier/accessible for more to enjoy though, so I’m using green lentils instead of moong beans and skipped the pressure cooker/instant pot method (this does make the lentils even softer though.) I’ll leave it up to you if you want to add all of the ingedients at once to make it extra easy or saute the ginger, jalapeno, spices, and tomato a bit first. I’ve made it both ways and sauteeing of course adds a tad more flavor, but it’s still good just adding it all in. It’s hearty enough to eat as is, but it’s extra good over basmati or jasmine rice. If you are grain free, you could always add it on top of mashed potatoes. That would be so good too!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 1 jalapeno finely chopped
• 1 inch chunk of raw ginger peeled and finely chopped
• 2 TBSP cumin
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 28 oz can chopped tomatoes ideally without citric acid
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 TBSP tomato paste
• 16 oz / 1 pound green lentils rinsed well
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1/2 -1 tsp salt or to taste
• serve on top of basmati or jasmine rice or even mashed potatoes!

Instructions

 

• Method 1 (easier) – To a large deep soup pot add everything from the jalapeno to the green lentils above (not the frozen peas or salt) and 5 1/2 cups water.
• Method 2 (just a tad more flavor) – In a deep soup pot, saute the jalapeno and ginger in a little bit of water, stirring frequently. Next add in the cumin, garam, and turmeric; stir until fragrant. Add in the chopped tomatoes and stir for 1-2 minutes. Now add in 5 1/2 cups water, the cinnamon stick, bay leaf, TBSP tomato paste, and the rinsed green lentils.
• Now cover the pot and bring to a rolling boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium or one below medium and cook covered for 25 minutes. At 25 minutes, stir in the 2 cups of frozen peas. Cover again and cook one notch below medium for 20 minutes, stirring it at minute 10. When the 20 minutes is up, check on it and see if any more time in needed. I usually do an additional 10 minutes here. Stir in the salt and taste. Adjust as desired. Once the lentils and peas are cooked, remove the bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Serve topped over rice. ENJOY! Note: Although this is a thicker mixture when done, add a little hot water if needed during cooking. Just a bit though as adding too much will dilute the flavor.

Notes

Easy Recipes | Healthy Recipes | Plant-Based Recipes

Keyword easy dinner recipes, healthy dinner recipes, one pot indian lentils, one pot indian curry, moong bean lentils, moong bean curry, healthy recipes, easy recipes

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you. I am only featuring items I love. As an amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you so much for your support! See my full disclosure.