If you’re looking for a delicious vegetarian curry dish for this week’s fakeaway, this simple Slow Cooker Dahl is bursting with flavour.
With a base of lentils and butternut squash, it is nutritious AND affordable.
Not only does this tick the boxes for ‘healthy’ and ‘flavour’, we’re also looking at reducing our meat intake and keeping costs satisfyingly low for this slow cooker fakeaway in the series.
A Slow Cooker Dahl just feels good while you’re eating it, and, like always, the hard work is done hours in advance with these slow cooker recipes!
If you’re in a meat-eating household, this is a perfect recipe if you have vegetarian guests coming round or you simply want a break from chicken, beef or lamb curries for a change. It’s also an ideal dish to make as part of a larger feast – perhaps a curry night or a hot buffet.
You could also serve this alongside my speedy Palak Paneer curry.
Why you’ll love this recipe
⭐️ Simple store-cupboard ingredients
⭐️ Spices are aromatic and satisfying
⭐️ Delicious results with little effort
About Red Lentil Dahl
Dahl (or ‘dal) is very much part of the culinary DNA of India. The word means ‘split pulse’ (lentils, peas, chickpeas and beans), and while there are many variations and recipes for different types of dahl in its country of origin, the name tends to refer to any lentil based curry.
I love this article in The Better India that goes into detail about the history and origins of the dahl.
Traditionally you would use the process of ‘tarka’ if you’re cooking Tarka Dahl, which you can always try if you have a little extra time.
A ‘tarka’ is the process of frying spices in a hot oil before adding them to a dish. This releases flavours from the spices. You then pour this over your Dahl as the ultimate seasoning.
What you’ll need
- Onions – Fresh or frozen is fine
- Garlic – Fresh, jarred or frozen is OK
- Ginger – Fresh, jarred or frozen is OK
- Ground cumin
- Curry paste – Use what you have or your choice
- Red lentils – These should be the dry type, in a bag
- Coconut milk – I use reduced fat
- Tinned chopped tomatoes
- Butternut squash – Fresh or frozen chunks is totally fine
- Vegetable stock – Read notes on the recipe below on quantities
- Paneer – Large chunks to serve. If you can’t find this Indian cheese, halloumi would also work well.
How to make it
- Put everything into the slow cooker and cook as per the recipe (at the bottom of this post).
2. Heat the oil in a small frying pan and fry off the cubes of paneer until crispy all over. Serve on top of the dhal.
Substitutions
- Halloumi – Swap the paneer for this if you prefer it
Leftovers
In the fridge You can keep this recipe in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat fully in the microwave or hob before serving.
In the freezer This recipe freezes well but try to freeze it without the paneer as that doesn’t freeze well. Just wait until it’s totally cold and then put into a freezer proof container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly before reheating in the microwave or on the hob.
Top tip
Make a ‘tarka’ sauce with spices beforehand for a extra flavour:
Heat up a little oil, add your chosen spices until they become fragrant (try cumin seeds, chilli flakes and fennel seeds) then add them to the dhal when it has finished cooking.. Be careful not to get them too hot or they will burn and taste bitter.
Stock amount:
The amount of stock you need for this recipe varies greatly depending on the ingredients and also how runny you like your dhal. If it looks too thick or dry an hour or two before serving (or even when you go to serve) add an additional 100-200ml of stock and stir well.
I find that sometimes a lot of liquid is released by the butternut squash and other times not so much. That’s why I start with 100ml of stock and then adjust accordingly.
FAQ
The Morphy Richards Sear & Stew Slow Cooker is my all-time favourite because you can use it for initial browning on the hob and it’s really light. For induction hobs, I recommend the Lakeland Digital 6.5l Slow Cooker instead.
Yes! Frying the spices a little beforehand will give that extra depth of flavour, as I’ve already mentioned, but if you’re going for convenience there will still be plenty of flavour in this all-in-one recipe.
Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.
Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
Red Lentil Dahl {Slow Cooker Fakeaways}
Ingredients
- 1 Onion Peeled and chopped
- 3 Cloves Garlic Or 3 tbsp of frozen/jar
- 2 tbsp Ginger Fresh or frozen/jar
- 2 tsp Ground cumin
- 4 tbsp Curry paste
- 250 g Red lentils
- 400 ml Reduced fat coconut milk
- 400 g Tinned chopped tomatoes
- 300 g Butternut squash cubes Fresh or frozen
- 100 ml Vegetable stock See notes
To serve:
- 2 tsp Sunflower oil
- 225 g Paneer Cut into large chunks
Instructions
- Put everything into the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 6 hours or LOW for 8-9 hours.
Optional to serve:
- Heat the oil in a small frying pan and fry off the cubes of paneer until crispy all over. Serve on top of the dahl.
Clare Gibson says
Hi, this looks right up my street but have never cooked with dried lentils before and don’t own a slow cooker. Just wanted to know if this could be cooked the stove? P.s love all your recipes P.p.s You and your kids are fab xx
Sarah Rossi says
Hi Clare, there’s a non slow cooker version of this recipe on the site if you search, that would be your best bet! Enjoy!
Lisa says
Literally 5 mins prep time 😀 in the slow cooker now be ready for 5- easy peasy
Asiya says
6hrs seriously is the cooking time ? For dhal recipe is tooo long
Sarah Rossi says
Hi Asiya, this recipe has been tested 3 times and each time we felt that if needed longer than 4 hours, or also 5, to get that soft creamy texture you normally get from a dahl that’s been stirred. Obviously feel free to not cook it for 6 hours. Thanks for your comment.
Nicky P says
Thus was delicious but 6 hours cooking time was not enough as the lentils were still quite firm (,I like them soft)
Sarah Rossi says
Thanks Nicky, someone else has told me it was too soft!! I think it’s important to use your own judgement/taste with slow cookers as the cooking times can vary a lot. Glad you enjoyed it!
Clare says
Loved it thanks. Meat eating husband also enjoyed. Will definitely do it again
Julie says
This so good!
Maybe I am greedy but found this only serves 4.
Will definitely make this again and it’s a handy recipe for when veggie friends come to visit. It’s a 10 from me!
Annie says
I cooked this in my Ninja foodi slow cooker for 6 hours on low and an hour on high. I added peas . Was delicious and no complaints from the meat eaters !
I even prepared all the ingredients the night before in a grab bag . Go me !
Eleanor says
Woweee this was good – SO easy and SO delicious! Your recipes are so easy to follow and the ingredient multiplier is an absolute game-changer. Made 3x the quantity and now have loads of tasty dahl in the freezer 🤩
Michelle says
This is one of the tastiest dhal recipes I’ve tried and it’s so easy. I did use curry powder rather than paste only because I didn’t have any in the cupboard. This will be a regular family dish
Emily says
I’ve never made a slow cooker recipe before that I enjoyed, despite trying many times. However, I found this excellent, and I’d cook it again.
Michelle says
Absolutely delicious recipe. It was my first time using a slow cooker. I will definately be making again. My kids loved it too.
Pauline says
Did this yesterday! Followed the recipe to the letter. So easy, and delicious!!! Will do it again for sure!
Sarah says
Made this today, absolutely deliciously. Cheap, easy and healthy.
Nia says
had those tonight. yummy served with naan bread absolutely delish xx
Donna Lord says
This meal is so tasty and smells delicious when cooking .
I did add another 100 mls of stock half way through.
100% recommend as I had all the ingredients in stock including frozen butternut squash
Andy says
Made this today and it’s amazing!!! I didn’t have fresh ginger so used half tablespoon dried ginger, and I left out the garlic (as I don’t like it!) soooooooo good. Even my meat eating partner loved it and said he’d have it again! Yummy!
Susan Rist says
At last , a slow cooker recipe that is full of flavour. So easy and really yummy. Have also tried the sweet and sour chicken which is also very good
Cannot wait to try the other recipes So glad I found your site
Veronica says
Made this when we had guests over, it went down really well. So easy and tasty.
Julie says
This is in the slow cooker as we speak can’t wait to try it
Stephanie says
This is amazing. I forgot to add the paneer, but I got rave reviews from the husband and in-laws. I did have to add around 200ml more water. Yet another winning recipe from Sarah.
Sarah says
This was delicious! So tasty and a perfect dinner for these cold evenings. So good to get the slow cooker on in the morning and not have to stress at dinner time. Thank you!
Emma says
Ok so I did do it for longer as I like my dal really creamy, but like you say that is down to personal taste! It would have been fine at the time limit. Really yummy. I feel like it needs something to be proper takeaway and that is probably butter or ghee, for a dinner party I would add but when it’s just me it’s nice to have junk free
Fern says
Hi, what curry paste would you suggest? I was after a Thai recipe. Thank you.