Red Lentil Dal – The Perfect dehydrated Trail Meal

This red lentil dal is ridiculously simple to make and endlessly delicious. We make a batch at least weekly, be it for Indian feasts at home or as a nourishing dehydrated backpacking meal on the trail. It’s inspired by Madhur Jaffrey’s “Everyday Dal” from Curry Easy, and the title is so on point:

My family can eat this every single day of the week: it is our soul food. I love this with Plain Basmati Rice and any vegetable I feel like that day. It’s also excellent with Lemony Minced Lamb with Mint & Coriander.

We don’t eat this dal every day but pretty damn often.

We’ve adapted her recipe here to use red lentils instead of moong dal (split mung beans). This is down to availability. Even our tiny local village shop sells red lentils. But if you can get moong dal, go for it!

We also use coconut oil in this recipe, rather than the traditional ghee or plain vegetable oil. We like the extra flavour that coconut oil adds. Heck, you could throw in a tin of coconut milk while cooking the lentils to up the ante (and calories).

Perfect for Dehydrated Backpacking Meals

Here’s what makes this dal an absolute winner for trail food: it packs small and rehydrates almost instantly. No waiting around at camp after a long day of hiking – just add boiling water, wait a few minutes, and you’ve got a hot, nourishing meal ready to go. Feel free to add dehydrated rice and some greens for something more substantial. I like to garnish mine with lots of chilli pickle and mango chutney.

A few notes on ingredients

You’ll need red lentils or moong dal, ground turmeric, asafoetida, and cumin seeds to achieve the magic flavours of this red lentil dal. Asafoetida (aka “hing”) is a wacky ingredient, a “gum” from a giant variety of fennel. It has a unique pungent flavour often described as similar to garlic, and yet is totally unique. I use it all the time for the depth of flavour it adds to Indian dishes. And studies show that it has all kind of medicinal benfeits: relaxant, neuroprotective, memory enhancing, digestive enzyme, antioxidant, antispasmodic, hypotensive, hepatoprotective, antimicrobial, anticarcinogenic, anticancer… if you don’t yet have asafoetida in your life, get some!

Dehydrated Red Lentil Dal

A ludicrously easy, delicious dal that you'll want to eat all the time. Enjoy on its own or with basmati rice or naan and all the garnishes. You'll need red lentils or moong dal, ground turmeric, asafoetida, and cumin seeds, all readily available online or at your local shops.

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Servings: 2

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 200 g (1 cup) red lentils (or moong dal if you can get it)
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tbsp coconut oil or ghee
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2-3 dried red chillies broken into pieces
• 1 shallot peeled and sliced thinly
• salt

Method

 

Making the Dal:

1. Rinse the red lentils thoroughly in cold water until the water runs clear.
2. Place the lentils in a pot with 600ml (2½ cups) water.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Wait a few minutes then skim off any foam that’s formed on the surface. Stir in the turmeric and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the lentils are soft and broken down (increase cooking time to 45 minutes for moong dal).
4. While the lentils cook, heat the coconut oil or ghee in a small pan over medium heat.
5. Add the cumin seeds, asafoetida, and dried chillies. Let them sizzle for a couple seconds then add the shallot.
6. Turn the heat down to medium and let the shallot cook slowly, until it just starts caramelizing. Pour the contents of the frying pan into the cooked lentils. Season with salt (start with a teaspoon then increase to suit your taste).

Dehydrating:

1. Spread the cooked dal in a thin, even layer on dehydrator trays lined with non-stick sheets or parchment paper. Aim for about ¼ inch thickness.
2. Dehydrate at 135°F (57°C) for 6-8 hours, or until completely dry and brittle. The dal should snap when broken and contain no moisture.
3. Once fully dried, break into smaller pieces (you can do this with a food processor if you have one) and store in an airtight container or vacuum-sealed bag.

On the Trail:

1. For one serving, place approximately 100g (1 cup loosely packed) dehydrated dal in your bowl or pot.
2. Add enough boiling water to just cover the dal and stir well.
3. Cover and let sit for a minute or two.
4. Add more hot water if needed to reach your desired consistency.
5. Service on its own or with basmati rice, naan, and your favourite garnishes.

Notes

• Servings: 2
• Packed weight: ~ 105g
• Trail prep time: < 2 minutes
• Nutrition per serving: 240 Calories | 9g Fat | 24g Carbs | 9g Protein