Slow Cooker Red Lentil Dal Soup is so tasty, easy, budget-friendly, and wholesome. Fill your kitchen with the amazing aromas of beautifully spiced red split lentils gently bubbling away. Perfect for when you fancy the delicious flavours of a home-cooked curry but are short of time and just need the slow cooker to do all the work!
4teaspooncurry powder[such as a Madras curry powder]
1teaspoonturmeric powder
250gramred split lentils[rinsed and drained]
280gramcarrots[about 2 medium diced]
1bay leaf
½teaspoonblack pepper
½teaspoonsalt
1.5litresvegetable stock[hot]
At the end of cooking:
1tablespoonlemon juice
Instructions
Heat the coconut oil over a medium heat, and cook the onions, garlic and ginger paste for 5 minutes. Stir a few times. [If preferred, or short on time, this step can be omitted and all the ingredients simply added to the slow cooker]
Scrape the onion mixture into the slow cooker, and add the rest of the ingredients.
250 gram red split lentils, 280 gram carrots, 1 bay leaf, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon salt
Give everything a good stir and pour in the hot vegetable stock.
1.5 litres vegetable stock
Set the slow cooker to the high setting and cook for 3 hours. Or for the medium setting about 4-5 hours.Or the low setting for 6-7 hours.[exact times will depend on your slow cooker and how thick you chop your carrots]
Once cooked, remove the bay leaf, add more salt and pepper to taste, and stir through the lemon juice.A few crushed peanuts and some fresh coriander [cilantro] is a nice garnish, and a tasty naan bread for dipping in the soup is usually welcomed by everyone!
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Notes
Nutritional data is provided for guidance only and is not intended to be an exact calculation as ingredients can vary.
We used a 3.5 litre slow cooker with a ceramic inner pot. As many slow cookers or crock pots may cook at different times do consult your slow cooker manual for guidance, or use your own personal experience with your particular slow cooker, for more guidance on cooking times.
Store leftover lentil dal soup for 3 days within a refrigerator.
Or freeze for 2-3 months.
Leftover soup can be reheated on the stove-top until piping hot, or within a microwave, or pour back into the slow cooker and switch to the high setting and leave until the soup is heated through.
For a gluten-free dal soup simply use a gluten-free veggie stock and check the ingredients for your spices and curry powder to ensure that no gluten ingredients have been added.
To prepare on the stove-top, follow the recipe and add extra vegetable stock if necessary during cooking. The soup is ready when the carrots are soft, the lentils cooked and the soup nice and thick.
If preferred the sauteing can be omitted and the ingredients all added to the slow cooker. Its personal preference whether to also include the coconut oil.
For an oil-free soup, omit the coconut oil, and either saute the spices, onions, garlic, and ginger in about ½ cup [120mililitres] of vegetable stock or omit the sauteing.