Weeknight Daal

Name: Weeknight Daal
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: Tanzanian
Ingredients: 1½ cups (285 g) red lentils; 3 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided, plus more as needed; 1½ teaspoons ground cumin; 1 teaspoon ground coriander; ½ teaspoon ground turmeric; 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces; 3 tablespoons double-concentrated tomato paste*; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice,* plus wedges for serving; Long-grain rice or crusty bread, for serving; Long-grain rice or crusty bread, for serving; Carrot Sambharo, for serving, optional; Olive oil, use vegetable oil; Olive oil, use vegetable oil; Yellow onion, use red onion; Yellow onion, use red onion; Garlic cloves, use a 2- inch piece ginger, grated; Garlic cloves, use a 2- inch piece ginger, grated; Kashmiri red chili powder, use ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper plus ½ teaspoon paprika; Kashmiri red chili powder, use ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper plus ½ teaspoon paprika; Kashmiri red chili powder, use ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper plus ½ teaspoon paprika; Tomato paste, use ½ cup canned crushed tomatoes or 2 large Roma tomatoes, chopped; Tomato paste, use ½ cup canned crushed tomatoes or 2 large Roma tomatoes, chopped; Tomato paste, use ½ cup canned crushed tomatoes or 2 large Roma tomatoes, chopped; Chicken broth, use beef broth or water; Chicken broth, use beef broth or water; Chicken broth, use beef broth or water; Lemon, use lime; Lemon, use lime

Preparation info

Serves
4 to 6

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
1 hr

Appears in

Third Culture Cooking

By Zaynab Issa

Published 2025

About

The daal I grew up eating on weeknights is most certainly not the kind of daal that I would make on a weeknight now. I don’t have a pressure cooker and I refuse to purchase one—the old-school ones scare me and the electric ones take up too much counter space.

To enjoy this spicy wholesome lentil stew on a weeknight, I use red lentils only, instead of the traditional fifty-fifty blend of red lentils and split chickpeas I grew up seeing. Not only do they cook much faster than other va

Ingredients

Sub-Saharan Africa
Tanzania
Main course
Vegetarian
Gluten-free

Ingredients

Method