Savory Indian-spiced red lentils are simmered with chunks of juicy pumpkin in this cozy pumpkin dal.
I’m just going to come out and say it: I’ll take pretty much any excuse I can get to throw pumpkin into just about anything. And I really don’t need much of an excuse, do I? Just this week I noticed some of last year’s pumpkin recipes coming back to life via little traffic spurts. I take that as a sign that you guys are just as into the whole pumpkin thing as I am, so let’s get rolling.
This one just occurred to me randomly. I love pumpkin in sweet recipes, but I really love savory pumpkin, especially when teamed up with some warming spices. Pumpkin and dal seemed like the perfect match.
The pumpkin chunks make for a nice sweet contrast to the lentils. I’m betting when you eat this you’ll find yourself digging out a pumpkin chunk to go with every bite.
You’ll need about a half of an average-sized sugar pumpkin for this, so it’s the perfect recipe to hang on to for those days when you’re likely to have some leftover from pie or some other recipe. If that’s not so likely, or if cracking open a pumpkin is just too much of a pain for you, feel free to sub your favorite sweet winter squash. I’m sure butternut, kabocha and delicata would all be awesome in here.
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Red Lentil Pumpkin Dal
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp. fresh grated ginger
- 1 serrano chili pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 2-3 dried red chile peppers, to taste
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1-14 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup split red lentils
- 2 cups diced sugar pumpkin, 1 inch cubes, about 1/2 of an average sugar pumpkin
- 1/2 cup coconut milk, from a can
- salt and pepper to taste
For Serving:
- fresh cilantro
- cooked basmati rice
Instructions
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Coat the bottom of a medium-sized saucepan with oil and place over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, serrano pepper (if using), cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon and dried chili peppers. Sauté 1 minute more, until fragrant.
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Add broth, tomatoes, lentils and pumpkin. Stir a few times to incorporate and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer until lentils and pumpkin are tender, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in coconut milk and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.
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Divide among bowls and serve with rice and cilantro.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition information does not include rice.
I wasn’t sure from the recipe if the pumpkin was cooked or raw.
It’s raw when you add it. :)
I found that even after 30 minutes of cooking and adding a little more water that the red lentils were still not quite cooked. Any suggestions?
Is it possible that your lentils are a bit dated? Usually red lentils cook up super fast, so that’s the only thing I can think of!
So delicious! I didn’t have any fresh garlic or dried chillies so went without and it was still so good. Thank you
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for the recipe. Since saw, we share with our friends.
Perfect recipe! I made it exactly as you suggested and it is going to be my go to dahl from here on in. Thank you.
Can I use canned pumpkin? I know it won’t have the chunks and be more soupy.
I think that would work! The texture will be quite different and you might need to adjust the amount of spices, but I think it would be good!
My husband who doesnt like sweet foods unless it’s a dessert loved this! So did my toddler to my surprise cause it is spicy. I didnt have coconut milk and it was still delish. I also used fresh tomatoes and a kuri squash and again it was so good. Thx for the recipe!
I’m so happy it was a hit with your family! Thanks so much for sharing!
We have been making this a lot. We have an allergy to tomato and leave it out and add some extra stock. We also leave out the coconut milk for health reasons. It is still delicious. We usually add something green – like spinach. A favourite. Thanks for posting.
Just made this recipe and it’s delicious! I soaked the lentils overnight and added more chilli. Thanks for a great dish!
Very nice. Looking forward to eating the leftovers today :)
Fantastic recipe! We used only 1.5 cups of water and was a perfect consistency. Will definitely make again!
This was absolutely delicious! I had some roasted pumpkin so I threw that in and it was amazing! Will definitely make it again.
First time I’ve cooked with Pumpkin and it was lovely! I tweaked a few ingredients and also added spinach and it’s was enjoyed by all!
so so nice. this is my third time making it. !!
I’ll confess I did quite a bit of tweaking to this recipe but the main component ingredients were spot on! And not because it wouldn’t be yummy without. This is a perfect example of Northern style Indian Dahl. With a onion, garlic, ginger, tomato base. I have recently begun to self study ayurveda, a 5,000 year old medical system for balance and health. Ayurveda meaning life and vegan meaning science. I am trying to cure an imbalance my husband has
For his dosha (personal constitution its not a 1 fits all type deal) he has a bit too much heat and fire. Causing him irritability, stomach issues, rashes, and a fiery temperament. So we withheld the onions, garlic, and hot spices. Sweet tastes are very grounding and calming for pitta types..This was a great recipe we could adapt for this! We also swapped the pumpkin for sweet potato as we didnt have it, added a bit more liquid and cooked it up in the instant pot! I added a bit of cardamom powder and I had no cinnamon so added garam masala at the end. It was also very family friendly we served it with brown rice. Baby and toddler loved it! Thx for the inspiration! Dahl are so versatile and red lentils cook so quick love it!