Dal fry is a typical Indian lentil dish (and popular on restaurant menus) made with cumin, turmeric, onion, tomato, garlic and lentils. I’ve simplified the recipe and turned it into a holiday gift mix in a jar. If you have friends and family who are vegetarian or Indian food lovers, they will be delighted to receive this as a Christmas gift! And you will love making this gift – its easy, fun, vegetarian, vegan AND cheap!

This dal fry mix in a jar was my Christmas present for a dear friend S, who is a new mother and is running her own business. You can imagine just how busy she must be! I figured a tasty dal mix in a jar, that she can make with almost no effort at all will be the perfect holiday gift for a busy mom like her.

l’ve used a combination of red lentils (masoor dal) and green lentils. Make sure you use the flat round green lentils from the bulk section of the grocery store. Dont use whole Indian green lentils (green moong dal) because it takes longer to cook. You can substitute the green lentils with yellow letils (yellow moong dal).

Caramelized onions is a common flavor base for Indian curries. To emulate some of that flavor, I use dried onion flakes in this recipe. They give the lentils a great, deep, slow cooked taste. You can find dried onion flakes in the spice section of the grocery store or in the bulk section.

Writing (or printing) out the recipe/instruction card for this mix is your chance to really personalize the gift. I like to make my instruction cards humorous – like adding inside jokes, cartoons etc. The point is to get funny and creative with the instruction cards!

For another homemade holiday gift idea for vegetarians, take a look at my cajun dirty rice mix in a jar.

Dal Fry Mix in a Jar Recipe

makes 1 jar

For the gift jar
One 1 pint jar
a 5″x5″ piece of fabric
a thin rubber band
some ribbon
Cardstock or any thick paper for writing instructions

Ingredients
¾ cup green lentils (not green moong dal)
¾ cup red lentils
4 tablespoons dry onion flakes
1 ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon salt

Pour the green lentils into the jar first. Then add onion flakes, garlic powder, turmeric, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Then pour in the red lentils.

If there is a gap between the top layer and the lid, crush a kitchen towel and stuff it into the gap. This will prevent the lentils and spices from moving around, and will preserve the pretty layers in the jar.

Seal jar tightly. Cover the lid with the fabric square. Place a rubber band over the fabric to secure it around the neck of the jar. Tie a ribbon in a bow around the neck of the jar, hiding the rubber band.

Write or print out these instructions on a thick piece of paper and attach to gift jar:

“You will need:
A large, deep skillet with a lid
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 tablespoon oil

Heat the oil in the skillet. Add tomatoes, and sauté on medium heat for about a minute. Add the contents of the jar, and stir for 2 minutes.

Pour in 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover the pan. Simmer the dal for about 20 minutes, or till cooked. Add more water while cooking, if needed.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

Serves 4″

Pierce a little hole in the upper corner of the instructions paper, and tie it to the ribbon. Or place the instructions against the jar, and tie it around the jar using ribbon or a rubber band.

My recipe for this lovely, healthy, homely methi dal comes to you in the form of a guest post on Michael Natkin’s blog, Herbivoracious. I was so honored when Micheal asked me to guest post for him! I’m a huge fan of Herbivoracious, and have been following his amazing vegetarian recipes and techniques for years. I cant wait for Michael’s first book to come out!

Head on over to Herboviracious and read my guest post, a Methi Dal (Indian Lentil Soup with Fenugreek) recipe.

This easy red lentil soup recipe comes together in 15 minutes. Add a touch of cream, greek yogurt or coconut milk (for vegan red lentil soup) and you have a satisfying, easy soup in no time. Serve with crusty bread or over brown rice.

We’ve all had gloopy lentil soup before and hate it! So make sure you dont over cook the lentils. They should be cooked through, but still holding their shape. Their texture and taste is so much better when you dont over cook lentils and make them mushy.

The ingredients are simple for this fuss free soup – carrot, celery, garlic, onion, and red lentils. Then you add a pinch of paprika for heat, if you like, and a little drizzle of cream, greek yogurt or coconutmilk for creaminess. Thats it!

I used masoor dal from the Indian store, which is usually cheaper than other local brands of split red lentils. If you dont have an Indian store near you, Bob’s Red Mill brand red lentils are great.

More lentil soup recipes

Alton Brown’s Lentil Soup recipe with cumin

Giada De Laurentiis Lentil Soup recipe with pasta

Lentil soup recipe from 101 cook books using beluga lentils

Lentil soup recipe  with Cajun flavors on Food Mayhem

Red lentil soup recipe with curry on New York Times

Red lentil soup recipe by Aarti Sequeira

Red lentil soup recipe with sumac on eCurry

Cream of red lentil soup Recipe

serves 2 as a main dish

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 carrot, peeled and chopped finely (about 1/2 cup)
1 celery rib, chopped finely (about 1/2 cup)
1 small onion, chopped finely (about 1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 cup dry split red lentils (either Bob’s red mill red lentils or masoor dal from Indian store)
1/2 teaspoon paprika or to taste, optional
salt
2 tablespoons heavy cream or greek yogurt or coconut milk for vegans
For garnish – chopped cilantro or parsley or dill

Heat olive oil in a pan. Add the carrot, celery, onion and garlic. Stir on low heat for about 3 minutes, or till the vegetables are soft. Dont let them brown.

Add the red lentils to the vegetables, and stir for about 1 minutes. Add paprika, salt and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low, place a lid on the pan, and simmer for 10 minutes or till the lentils are cooked but still holding their shape. Dont let the lentils get mushy. Add more water during cooking, if needed.

When the soup is done, stir in your choice of heavy cream or greek yogurt or coconut milk and turn off heat.

Serve hot, garnished with chopped cilantro, or parsley or dill. Drizzle more cream or yogurt or coconut milk – whichever you are using - over the soup if desired.