Courgette (Zucchini) Red Lentil Daal {Vegan & GF}

Name: Courgette and Red Lentil Daal
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp garam masala; 1 tsp curry powder; 1 tsp turmeric powder; 225 g red lentils; 500 ml stock; 1 clove garlic; ½ tsp fresh ginger; 1 medium courgette (zucchini) (diced); ½ lemon; 2 sprigs coriander (cilantro)

Published on April 25, 2018 by Helen Best-Shaw 39 Comments
Last Updated on September 7, 2021

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Courgettes or zucchini make a tasty addition to a classic daal. Frugal, easy to make, healthy and delicious, this courgette red lentil daal is an excellent way to use up a glut of home grown veg! Vegan and naturally gluten free.

A dish of zucchini or courgette daal, on a red and white gingham napkin. Chilis in the foreground, lentils and a handful of coriander in the background.

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Courgette red lentil daal

Courgettes or zucchini: whatever you call them, if you grow them you have a deep and abiding understanding of the concept of feast or famine. When courgettes are in season, there’s no getting away from them. They’re lunch, supper, pickles and even jams.

Courgettes are delicious simply fried in butter and oil, but that does get to be a little same-y after a while. So we’re always looking for new ideas. This tasty courgette and red lentil daal is a great addition to the recipe collection.

Now, is it dal, dhal, dahl or daal? However you spell it, this savoury lentil-based dish is a delicious, spicy staple that’s easy to make. Mopped up with roti, the traditional Southern Asian flatbreads, or served with rice and curries, it’s comforting, tasty and nutritious too.

Pink, yellow, green and white coloured rotis on a hessian cloth. A sprig of coriander in the background. — Make brightly coloured rotis by adding beetroot, turmeric or spinach powder.

Ingredients

Courgettes – Baby marrows are known by the French term courgette in the UK and the Italian zucchini in the US. Eat them young and fresh, before the seeds develop and the skin thickens.

Red lentils – The least fussy of all pulses, these keep for ages and don’t need soaking before you cook them.

Ginger – Fresh or frozen. I keep it in the freezer and grate it as I need it.

Garlic

Lemon – juice only

Spices – curry powder, garam masala, cumin and turmeric

Vegetable stock

Coriander leaf (cilantro) – to garnish

How to make courgette/zucchini and red lentil daal

The ingredients for courgette daal, laid out: courgette, garlic, ginger, lemon, lentils, and spices.

Step one First, fry the spices in a little oil until they’re just starting to give off that delicious fragrance.

A frying pan of spices, fried in oil. The first stage of making daal.

Step two Stir in the lentils. Coat them well with the spice and oil mixture.

Making daal: lentils are added to fried spices, and stirred in.

Step three Add the stock. Grate in the garlic and ginger and then simmer the daal for about 20 minutes. Add a little more stock if necessary.

Fuss Free Tip
Keep your ginger in the freezer, and grate it from frozen. No more worries about unused ginger going soft in the fridge!

Grating fresh ginger into a frying pan of daal.

Step four Dice and add the courgettes. Simmer for a few minutes more, so that the courgettes cook through.

A frying pan of orange daal, topped with chopped courgette.

Step five Add a squeeze of lemon juice and serve.

Serve with our easy pilau rice or spiced flatbread

Tried this recipe?If you try this recipe please tag #FussFreeFlavours on Instagram or Twitter. It is amazing for me when for me when you make one of my recipes and I really do love to see them. You can also share it on my Facebook page. Please pin this recipe to Pinterest too! Thanks for reading Fuss Free Flavours!

Rotis from the rotimatic placed in a dish of courgette daal.

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4.95 from 18 votes

Courgette and Red Lentil Daal

Courgette red lentil daal is not only delicious but a comforting, nutritious and frugal dish and a great way to use up a seasonal glut of zucchini/courgettes! Vegan and naturally gluten free.

Servings: people

Author: Helen Best-Shaw

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time25 mins

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
225 g red lentils
500 ml stock
1 clove garlic
½ tsp fresh ginger
1 medium courgette (zucchini) (diced)
½ lemon
2 sprigs coriander (cilantro)

Instructions

Heat the oil in the pan. Add the spices, stirring all the time. Fry them for a few minutes until they release their aroma.
Add the lentils and stir for another minute making sure they are well coated with the oil and spice mix.
Take the pan off the heat to add the stock. Then grate in the garlic and ginger, return to the heat and simmer for 10 mins.
Add the diced courgette and stir in. Simmer for another 10 mins until the lentils are soft, adding more water when needed. The amount of water you need to add will vary according to how much the courgette absorbs.
Add a squeeze of lemon juice to taste. It brightens and lifts the entire dish.
Serve with roti, other flatbreads, or rice, garnished with chopped coriander leaf (cilantro).

Notes

Freeze ginger root and grate into the daal from frozen.
Keeps for a few days in the fridge, or make a double batch and freeze.
Add some extra stock to leftovers and cook for another 10 minutes for a delicious lentil soup.
Serve with my easy pilau rice.
This recipe is 15 Weight Watchers Smart Points per portion

• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.

Nutrition Facts

Courgette and Red Lentil Daal

Amount Per Serving (2 servings)

Calories 508 Calories from Fat 81

% Daily Value*

Fat 9g14%

Saturated Fat 5g31%

Sodium 496mg22%

Potassium 1572mg45%

Carbohydrates 76g25%

Fiber 37g154%

Sugar 7g8%

Protein 31g62%

Vitamin A 635IU13%

Vitamin C 35.5mg43%

Calcium 100mg10%

Iron 10.6mg59%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Light Meal, Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Courgette (Zucchini) Red Lentil Daal {Vegan & GF}

Courgette red lentil daal

Ingredients

How to make courgette/zucchini and red lentil daal