Since moving, I've learned that there's a fat chance of finding decent takeout in this town. The pizza place a half-block away only serves edible food if "the old guy" is working. The Chinese in the same plaza is garbage. There was a good Chinese place about a mile down the road, but in a Shakespearean twist of fate, it burnt down just 2 days after I declared it my go-to. The nearest decent Indian restaurant doesn't deliver this far out, and while I've come to terms with the winter weather, I'm not up to warm up my car and drive a half-hour down cold, dark back roads whenever I get a sudden vindaloo craving.
And so I've been cooking at home almost exclusively, using it as an opportunity to make my own comforting, sit-in-sweatpants-and-dig-in kind of meals. Take these Slow Cooker Indian-Spiced Lentils for example. They're flavorful, rich, hearty, and they warm you right up when the chill starts to set in, plus it doesn't take much effort at all to make a HUGE batch. Leftovers for days! I'll just go ahead and give myself another helping.
I never thought that slightly-mashed lentils would fall within the realm of my comfort foods, snuggled up along with my mac n' cheese, pizza, and other cheesy, doughy dishes. But when seasoned and slow cooked, there's such a coziness and familiarity to them, as if I've been eating them for my whole life. Those of you who've had them before know what I mean.
Now, mind you, there are traditional ways to make dahl (Indian lentils), and this recipe is in no way traditional. I don't toast and then grind my own spice seeds, or use ghee, or employ any of the proper techniques. But what this dish lacks in authenticity, it makes up for in ease-- and not for lack of flavor, either. I still use the same signature flavors, just with some Morgan-style simplifying.
To make this dish as simple as possible, I combine the spices and aromatics in a food processor to make a paste that will flavor the base of the lentils. I add the paste to my slow cooker along with my lentils, and then pour in diced tomatoes and plenty of water for the lentils to absorb as they cook. After 8 hours on low (or 4 on high, if I'm impatient), my lentils are soft and easily mashed. It's not necessary to mash them if you don't want to, by the way. Many people prefer their dahl to be more soupy or stew-like, and admittedly, it's probably prettier that way. I like the thicker texture from mashing about half of the lentils, but to each their own!
By the way, I know that it's not the most photogenic dish, despite the fact that you've got such vibrant colors and contrast from the turmeric, curry powder, tomatoes, and cilantro. But you've got to trust me here. It's delicious.
Once I've mashed to my heart's content, I season generously with salt and adjust the other spices to taste, if necessary. Then, if I'm in a mood where I couldn't care less about calories (and I'm not serving any vegan friends) I mix in some butter and cream to make the lentils ultra-rich. If I'm trying to be healthier, I leave out the butter and opt for coconut milk instead. I love it either way.
Then all that's left is to serve it over rice with warm naan on the side, sprinkle of cilantro leaves on top, and I'm ready to go to town. I've made this recipe for (ok, well, to be honest I've served leftovers to) both meat-eaters and vegetarians alike, and everyone always devours it. Give it a go and see for yourself!
Don't forget to take a photo and tag #hostthetoast on Instagram or Twitter! It's hard to make Slow Cooker Indian-Spiced Lentils look great but I have faith in your ability. Show me up.
Print
Slow Cooker Indian Lentils
- Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Ingredients
- 3 cups red and/or yellow lentils
- 4-6 serrano chiles, depending on heat preference, stemmed and seeded
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic
- 3" piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 4 tablespoons butter, optional
- 14 ounces heavy cream or unsweetened coconut milk
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice, to serve
- Basmati rice, to serve
- Naan, to serve
Instructions
- In a large bowl, soak the lentils for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse well, and then transfer the lentils to the bowl of the slow cooker.
- Combine the serrano chiles, chopped onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder, cumin, turmeric, chili powder, and sugar in a food processor. Process until the mixture becomes a paste and is well-combined. Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker. Stir in 6 cups of water and the diced tomatoes.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours, or until the lentils are soft. Season very generously with salt, stir well, and adjust remaining seasonings, to taste. Gently mash about half of the lentils with a mixing spoon.
- Stir in the butter, if desired, and the heavy cream or coconut milk, a bit at a time, until reaching the desired richness and consistency. Mix in the cilantro, saving some to top.
- Serve warm with freshly squeezed lemon, basmati rice, and naan.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 4 hours
Whitney Matta says
This looks delicious! Can any of the recipe be prepared the night before and refridgerated?
Joe says
Yes.
I prepared the puree of onions/chiles/ginger/garlic/spices the night before and saved it in the refrigerator. I also pre-chopped some cilantro and saved it. And I measured out the lentils I needed into a separate container.
In the morning, I soaked the lentils while I was getting ready for my day, and I added everything to the slow cooker before I left. After work, I added the butter and coconut milk and cilantro. I adjusted the spices with chili sauce, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
My family really loved this dish.
Cheryl says
This was super yummy - thank you!
Your recipe says it serves 12.
What do you consider a serving size?
One cup?
(Thanks, counting calories)
Allison says
Mine turned out soupy. 🙁 It didn't specify whether or not to drain the tomatoes before adding but based on the consistency I got I assume it was supposed to be drained?
Ramya says
It can be made soupy too! there are many variations of this dish!
Heather says
Can leftover be frozen?
Aimee says
This looks good, but I don't have a slow cooker... would I just simmer for a few hours?
Corina says
What is a serving size? Thanks!
Kiran says
Would onion give raw taste? That's my major problem when using slow cooker for indian cooking. So wanna know that before trying.
Thanks
Rich says
It's a snow day here in New England so a good time to report back. This is an incredibly easy (duh), and incredibly delicious dish! Also very inexpensive to make... I happened to have everything in my cupboards already, so quite convenient too!
I did add a little butter (maybe two tablespoons at most) and a can of unsweetened coconut milk at the end of the cooking process. I probably 'over-mashed' mine a bit so I definitely did not improve upon the aesthetics, but what it lacks in beauty is more than compensated in flavor! So good!
I made exactly as directed, but added little fresh diced tomato in addition to cilantro on top in my bowl because I wanted to return a little texture to the dish since I went a bit long with the mashing (immersion blender). Excellent recipe and I have several servings sitting in the freezer for another day!
Thanks again Morgan!
Ariel says
Loved this recipe! I used coconut cream instead (it happened to be in my pantry, not sure why) and it turned out wonderful. Thanks for such a tasty dish!
Christine Gloeckner says
Have you tried freezing leftovers? Wondering if the consistency changes when reheated.
lin says
can it be frozen
Morgan says
Yes you can make ahead of time and freeze for later!
Maegan says
This recipe is SO DELICIOUS. Thank you!
Ione says
How spicy is this recipe? I am thinking about making it for my book group when we discuss The Namesake next month
V. L. Ray says
I feel like a serving would be about a cup, because you're serving it with rice and naan, is that right?
And while I love the slow cooker idea, do you think it would change the flavor/consistency much if I cooked the onions first? I really dislike the taste of raw onions, and would be afraid that taste would still be there if I didnt pre-saute them. What are your thoughts on this?
I want to thank you for sharing your recipe.
I'm going to try it tomorrow for dinner! I can't wait to share my photos and tell you what everyone thinks 🙂
Morgan says
Pre-sauteeing will be fine! While the raw flavor of the onions should cook out while slow-cooked, sauteeing the onions first should actually help to deepen their flavor. I say go for it 🙂
I hope you all enjoy the lentils! Can't wait to see!
Anna says
Could you do this in an instapot? If so how long would you do it for?
Kaitlin says
I don’t have a food processor. Is there a work around for this?
Caden says
I used a blender
Tom says
This is one of my favorite recipes i've ever made. thank you so much for this!
Caden says
I’m gonna frame this recipe, so good! Haha
Polina says
Delicious!!!
I love this recipe so much!
It tastes like a high quality indian restaurant food! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us! My whole family ate it and asked for more 🙂
Lisa says
Hi, can I use yellow split peas instead of yellow Lentils?
Karen bath says
Why are you called host the toast
Aj says
Mine was very soupy. But still delicious, I did 2x 400g cans of diced tomatoes and 6 cups of water with 3 cups of lentils. Should I just do 3 cups of water next time?
Amber says
Did you ever try making this again with 3 cups of water? I made it tonight with the 6 cups of water to and it is literal soup and I have not added in the coconut milk yet which I know is just going to make it even more soupy. I am so bummed!
Jason says
Yes can babe frozen after cooked. And yes you can make the night before then cooked the next day on your way out to work.
Chels says
Great recipe! My 8 and 11 yr Olds ate it up! Used rotel with green chilies and half a diced tomato for my tomato and Serrano because I didn't have anything else and a 1/4 tsp of cayenne for a little extra spice. Super yummy probably used 4-5 tbsp of heavy cream. Wasn't sure if the cream would curdle with how hot the dal was so I tempered it. Made a half recipe and have enough to freeze and eat on for several more meals.