Sri Lankan Dhal curry(parippu, dal, daal).

Dhal curry recipe is an authentic Sri Lankan recipe and can be cooked under 30 minutes.

Also known as “parippu” in Sinhalese, the dhal recipe is a popular and regular vegetarian side dish in most homes and restaurants.

This Sri Lankan lentil curry is also one of the easiest vegan comfort food you can cook under 30 minutes, some of us(including me)have no problem eating it every day.

It’s mildly spiced and creamy that most non-spicy food lovers would love it(even kids)!

A quick Sri Lankan menu when you are in a hurry.

When you’ve spent the morning on errands or you’ve just had a full day of chores to finish around the house and you need to make a meal for the kids who’ll be home in an hour. This is it.

Dhal, rice (on the rice cooker of course) and a chicken curry complete the menu for lunch.

Why Dhal curry is a popular Sri Lankan vegetarian dish.

It’s quick, simple and versatile.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed this but I’m amazed sometimes at how different the cooked red lentils tastes according to whose cooking it.

Some like the dhal curry(parippu)really spicy with loads of tempering and some like it light and more mild and heavy on the coconut milk.

It’s also a great beginner’s introduction to Sri Lankan cuisine.

Side dishes for dhal (parippu)curry.

 Here are a few dishes you can serve with the dhal curry but really, the choices are limitless.

Parippu curry goes with almost any type of side dish, like a really good spicy coconut sambol. 

Even if you are not cooking a Sri Lankan feast, you can add dhal(parippu) to almost any meal.

It’s that versatile and compliments any type of dish you serve.

Sometimes I cheat…

As I’ve mentioned earlier, we all have a busy schedule and sometimes doing the smallest thing takes the longest.

Here’s what I do to make the whole cooking process a bit quicker, when I’m making the dhal curry for my family I usually do the tempering as follows.

Instead of removing it to a separate bowl, I just take a spoonful of the tempering ingredients and set it aside.

Then to the pan with the remaining tempering ingredients, I add the red lentils and water.

Cook as normal dhal curry recipe instructions and add the spoon of temper into the cooked dhal curry at the end. 

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How much tempering ingredients should you use for the dhal recipe?

The recipe instructions given below gives you the standard amount of ingredients for tempering.

But for any special events where you want the dhal curry to be served, you can increase the amount of tempering ingredients to give the dhal curry a  rich flavor.

What type of lentil is used to make the vegetarian dhal/dal curry?

You will be using masoor dhal/dal or red lentils for this recipe.

Most lentils will need a certain amount of hours of soaking but masoor dhal is quick to cook. 

Which makes it easy to cook this popular Sri Lankan recipe under 30 minutes.

So here’s your recipe instruction on how to cook a Sri Lankan dhal curry.

More Dhal/red lentil recipes!

Indian dal tadka.

30 minute-tempered

lentils with spinach.

Spicy Sri Lankan chilli dhal fry(vegan,vegetarian).

Red lentil-ground beef chili

Storing-Once cooled, refrigerate. use a glass container with a lid or an old plastic container as the turmeric will stain plastic. use within 2 days.

Freezing- If you’ve already added the coconut milk you can freeze for 2-3 days and use it for another meal.

If you find that you’ve cooked too much dhal what you can do is,

Before you add the coconut milk, save a portion of the cooked dhal and freeze and when you want to use this portion, bring it to room temperature, cook on low fire for 3 minutes and add coconut milk and tempering. 

The dhal can be frozen for 2 weeks(without coconut milk).

Reheating-leave out to reach room temperature., microwave for 2 minutes or warm over the stovetop for 2-3 minutes.

Stop food waste by-Cooking dhal curry can be quite economical for any large family or gathering if you are on a budget. 
A little dhal curry cooked in coconut milk can go a long way.

RECIPE DIFFICULTY -EASY

How to cook parippu

(lentil, dal, dhal)curry.

Ingredients 

Please make sure to read the recipe instructions at least once to avoid mistakes.

Ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.

Tempering ingredients for dhal curry

3 tablespoons of oil

A sprig of curry leaves(a few to be used for tempering and half while cooking the dhal)

4 pods of garlic(a few to be used for tempering ad half while cooking the dhal)

1 large onion(a few to be used for tempering and half t while cooking the dhal)

A teaspoon of Turmeric powder(half to be used for tempering and half while cooking the dhal)

1 teaspoon of red chilies flecks or two whole dry red chilies

1/2 a teaspoon of mustard seeds

To cook the Dhal curry

1 cup Dhal(lentils,parippu)

1/2 a cup of water

A few of all the other ingredients mentioned for tempering above(turmeric, curry ;eaves, garlic, onions)

102 green chillies sliced

1 teaspoon of Salt

1/2 a cup of thick coconut milk

Method

Tempering

Cut the large onion and garlic(4 pods)into thin slices and set aside.

Add three tablespoons of oil to a pan, include the curry leaves, sliced garlic, onions, and turmeric powder(1 tsp).

Leave it to cook until the onions turn translucent over medium heat for 2 minutes.

Reduce heat and include the chilli flakes(1 tsp) or 2 whole dried red chillies, once you see the onions turning golden brown, add the mustard seeds(1 tsp)and cook for 2 minutes.

Once all the ingredients turn golden brown, remove the tempered ingredients from the heat and transfer to a separate dish.

How to  Cook the dhal curry

Wash the lentils thoroughly.

Turn in the washed lentils/daal(1cup) to the pan you used for tempering(saves washing).

Pour in the water(1/2 cup)with a pinch of turmeric and a few slices of onions, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves.

Over medium heat, let the lentils/daal cook until the water evaporates, this takes 10-15 minutes.

When the lentils are cooked, gradually add the coconut milk(1/2cup)and let it simmer on low fire. 10-15 minutes, add salt to taste. 

Finally, add the tempered onions to the curry and mix. if you are serving guests, keep a bit of the tempering.

Once you add the dhal curry to a serving bowl and top the lentils/dal with the remaining temper for a true, Sri Lankan presentation.

Serve warm with rice and curry.

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