Brown Butter Lentils.

By Anna Luisa Rodriguez

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Simple and sensational

Hello! Even though it’s dark and gloomy outside my window, I’m cheered by the fact that tomorrow is Holi. Also known as the Festival of Colors, the Hindu holiday welcomes spring and emphasizes love, community and the triumph of good over evil. It’s famously marked by partygoers throwing brightly hued powder and water, but another defining aspect of the vibrant festivities is an abundance of sweet treats. So even if there are no colorful street parties in your area, you can still celebrate by preparing a batch of Coconut Burfi Truffles from food writer Varu Chilakamarri.

Although the focus isn’t on savory food, you’ll still need a filling meal to fuel you, and we’ve got you covered with today’s recipe. It’s a warm, buttery variation of masoor dal from Eat Voraciously writer G. Daniela Galarza, and it’s made up of several pigmented elements: sunny, golden turmeric; pale vermilion lentils; scarlet red tomatoes; and earthy green curry leaves. 

Lentils have quickly been climbing the ranks in my weeknight meal rotation. Most varieties take less than a half-hour to cook, and they’re more cost-efficient per serving than their canned legume counterparts. They’re also one of the most sustainable sources of protein, thanks to their ability to improve soil health, fix nitrogen and use water efficiently. On the nutrition front, lentils are a great plant-based source of protein, fiber, iron, zinc, magnesium, potassium and vitamin B. Oh, and they’re incredibly versatile and taste good, too. There are no “perfect” foods, but lentils sure get close, at least in my estimation.

So far, I’ve incorporated lentils into pasta sauces, added them to soups and combined them with caramelized onions to make mujadara. But lentils don’t need to play a supporting role. In fact, they shine in the spotlight. This recipe is proof that you don’t need to do much to make a simple pot of lentils truly sensational, and it’s the culmination of tips, techniques and ingredients used by a few of our favorite chefs and cooks. 

One source of inspiration for the dish is the late chef and restaurateur Floyd Cardoz and his masterful use of spices and chiles. Daniela’s take on masoor dal layers turmeric, coriander, cumin, cinnamon and cardamom so that each bite is infused with warm spice. Award-winning Indian cookbook author Madhur Jaffrey’s utilization of sweet and savory browned onions spurred the buttery onion tadka that gets drizzled over every bowl. And the additions of jaggery, an unrefined form of cane sugar popular in South Asian cooking, and fresh tomatoes are pages taken out of the book of cookbook author and blogger Archana Mundhe. The two ingredients add a touch of bright, complex sweetness to the dish, rounding out the other spicy, savory flavors. 

Though there are two components — the tadka and the lentils — the dish is effectively a one-pot meal, as the lentils are cooked in the brown-butter-slicked pot that the tadka is made in first. And although the dish is filling on its own, part of the joy of dal and other simple (but sensational) dishes is pairing them with other staples to take them to the next level. In this case, that’s additions such as a dollop of cooling, tangy yogurt; a scoop of fluffy, well-seasoned basmati rice; or a piece of warm, straight-out-of-the-oven flatbread. 

Whether you’re incorporating more sustainable sources of protein into your diet, trying to find budget-friendly ingredients or just searching for a new 30-minute meal, I have faith that this recipe will have you clearing space in your pantry for a big bag of lentils. Welcome to the club.

Browning the butter. (Photos by Rey Lopez; food styling by Marie Ostrosky, both for The Washington Post)

Brown Butter Lentils

Find substitution suggestions and other tips below the recipe.

Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Where to buy: Curry leaves can be found at Indian or Asian markets; if purchasing fresh leaves, you can store them in the freezer and use as needed. 

Servings: 4 (makes 5 cups)
Total time: 30 mins

Ingredients

For the tadka

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 small yellow onion (2 ounces total), halved and thinly sliced
• Pinch fine salt
• 4 to 6 curry leaves, fresh or dried (optional; see Where to buy)

For the lentils

• One (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch ground cardamom (optional)
• 1 cup grated or diced fresh tomato (from 2 to 3 ripe plum tomatoes; see Substitutions) 
• 1 cup dried split red lentils (masoor dal), rinsed and drained
• 3 cups water, plus more as needed
• ¼ teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
• 1 small red or green chile, such as serrano or bird’s-eye, stemmed, halved and seeded (optional)
• 1 tablespoon jaggery or light brown sugar (optional)
• Plain yogurt, for serving (optional)
• Cooked basmati rice, for serving (optional)
• Warm flatbreads, such as naan, roti or pita, for serving (optional)

Steps

1. Make the tadka: In a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. When it begins to foam, add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently and adjusting the heat as needed to prevent the butter or onion from burning, until the butter turns golden and the onion is browned and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and gently stir in the curry leaves, if using. Immediately pour the mixture into a small bowl — leaving a little of the residual brown butter in the pan — and cover to keep warm. 

2. Make the lentils: Return the saucepan to medium heat, and add the ginger, turmeric, coriander, cumin, cinnamon and cardamom, if using. Cook, stirring to combine, until fragrant, 10 to 20 seconds. Add the tomatoes and stir to ensure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pan. Stir in the lentils, water, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and the chile, if using. Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover the saucepan so the lid is slightly ajar, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick and the lentils are very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. If the lentils are thicker than you’d like, stir in additional water. Remove from the heat and discard the chile, if you used it.

3. Taste the cooked lentils, and season with additional salt, if desired. To balance the heat of the chile, stir in the jaggery or brown sugar, if desired.

4. Divide the lentils among individual bowls, top each with about 1 tablespoon of the tadka, and serve hot, with yogurt, rice and/or flatbreads on the side, if desired.

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From staff writer G. Daniela Galarza. Tested by Jacob Brogan.

Nutrition information per serving (1 1/4 cups lentils plus 1 tablespoon tadka): Calories: 310; Total Fat: 12 g; Saturated Fat: 7 g; Carbohydrates: 37 g; Sodium: 190 mg; Cholesterol: 31 mg; Protein: 13 g; Dietary Fiber: 8 g; Sugar: 2 g.

Substitution suggestions + other tips and ideas:

• Butter >> ghee or neutral oil, such as sunflower or vegetable, though the flavor will not be buttery.
• Grated or diced fresh tomato >> no-salt-added canned diced or crushed tomatoes.
• Tomato >> coconut milk or water.
• Red lentils >> split yellow lentils.
• Basmati rice >> other kinds of rice.

Catch up on this week’s Eat Voraciously recipes:
Monday: Halibut in Miso Broth
Tuesday: Chicken Stir-Fry With Mango and Peanut Sauce
Wednesday: Veggie Supreme White Bean Hot Dish
More recipes from Eat Voraciously