Japanese Curry Dal

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I love lentils and I love Japanese curry, so at some point I had the thought to throw lentils into a Japanese-style curry to add some fiber and protein to it. This is basically Swasthi's Recipes' dal makhani mashed together with Just One Cookbook's curry with a side of me doing whatever the hell I want. One big change is that I air fry/roast the vegetables to avoid them getting mushy from sitting with the dal.

The dal adds some earthiness that makes this dish taste different than plain curry. It's also thicker and less soupy, so it can be eaten without rice. Or increase the fiber content further by adding quinoa to your rice!

Ingredients

This is for 8-10 servings because it freezes so well.

  • 2 cups/400g Urad dal (found at Indian and some Asian grocers)
  • 2 white onions, cut into large pieces
  • 2 pounds yukon gold potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 3 large carrots, cut into disks/wedges
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 3 tsp grated ginger
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp sriracha
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 apple, grated or diced
  • 1 cup stock of choice
  • 3 curry blocks
  • 5 tbsp S&B curry powder (to taste)

Directions

  1. TO BE DONE THE NIGHT BEFORE: Wash the dal a few times, then soak them in 8 cups of water overnight (use a lot of water so they have room to grow)
  2. Drain the dal, then add them to the Instant Pot with 8 more cups of water. Pressure cook on high pressure for 20 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for at least 15-20 minutes.
  3. While you wait for the dal to cook, cut up all the vegetables. It'll be easier to have everything ready to go later.
  4. In a large pot, add enough oil to cover the bottom, then add the onions. Cook for 15-20 minutes on medium low heat until golden brown.
  5. Add the garlic and ginger, then cook for another 5 minutes.
  6. Add the honey, soy sauce, sriracha, and tomato paste. Mix everything together.
  7. At this point, the dal should have had time to get soft. Release any remaining pressure, then dump the contents of the Instant Pot into your big soup pot. There will be extra water. That goes in too.
  8. Add 1 cup of stock and the grated apple, then mix everything together.
  9. Let the dal simmer uncovered on medium low heat for about 45 minutes.
  10. In the meantime, spread the potatoes and carrots on a baking sheet or air fryer basket, sprinkle with S&B curry powder, and spray with oil. Air fry at 375F for about 30 minutes (more or less depending on how crisp you want them). If you don't have an air fryer, you will need to bake for longer.
  11. Return to the dal and add the curry blocks, one at a time. Per the JOC recipe, it helps to take a spoon of the liquid and dissolve the block in there before mixing it in with the rest.
  12. The dal is pretty thick on its own, so once you've reached your desired thickness with the blocks, you can finish adding the curry flavor with the powder.
  13. Cook uncovered on low heat for another 15-30 minutes or until the dal reaches the consistency you like.
  14. Serve over rice if desired and top with the potatoes and carrots. I also like Japanese mayonnaise and green onions.

Notes

The honey, soy sauce, sriracha, tomato paste, and apple are all flavor modifiers that I like, but you can experiment with other stuff - see secret ingredients on JOC.