Dal Adas (Spicy Red Lentil Tamarind Soup)

Name: Dal Adas (Spicy Red Lentil Tamarind Soup)
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons ghee or extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed; 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped; 6 large garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 (2-inch) piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped; 12 fresh cilantro sprigs, leaves set aside for garnish and stems finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon); Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 1 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne, or to taste; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 2 cups red lentils, rinsed; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 to 2 tablespoons tamarind paste or lime juice, plus more as needed; Flatbread or plain white rice (optional), for serving

By Naz Deravian

Published Sept. 6, 2022

Dal Adas (Spicy Red Lentil Tamarind Soup) — Joe Lingeman for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Total Time: 50 minutes
Rating: 5(762)
Comments: Read comments

As with all culinary traditions, southern Iranian cuisine has been influenced by the cooking of neighboring regions. Spicy and warming, dal adas is a popular southern Iranian red lentil soup or stew reminiscent of Indian masoor dal. It bursts with flavor from plenty of garlic and spices, and tickles with heat from ground cayenne. The dish is brightened with tamarind, an ingredient commonly used in the south of Iran to add the requisite Iranian tang to dishes. For ease, use tamarind concentrate, which can be found at most Middle Eastern, Asian and Latin markets, plus many supermarkets. Dal adas can be served as a soup, as done here, with a side of flatbread. If you prefer to serve it as a stew over rice, reduce the water amount by about one cup.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

3tablespoons ghee or extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
1large yellow onion, finely chopped
6large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1(2-inch) piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
12fresh cilantro sprigs, leaves set aside for garnish and stems finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
2teaspoons ground cumin
1teaspoon ground turmeric
½teaspoon ground cayenne, or to taste
1tablespoon tomato paste
2cups red lentils, rinsed
½teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 to 2tablespoons tamarind paste or lime juice, plus more as needed
Flatbread or plain white rice (optional), for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
In a large pot, heat the ghee or oil over medium-high. Add the onion, reduce the heat to medium and cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until golden and a little browned around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, add the garlic, ginger and cilantro stems. Add a little more ghee or oil if your pot seems dry. Season with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
Step 2
Stir in the cumin, turmeric and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook in the oil to take off its raw edge and deepen its color, stirring frequently and taking care not to burn the paste, about 1 minute.
Step 3
Add the lentils and stir to combine. Add 8 cups of water and season with salt (about 1½ tablespoons) and black pepper to taste. Partially cover, raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover completely, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot, until the lentils soften, about 15 minutes.
Step 4
Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cinnamon. Add the tamarind paste or lime juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, tasting as you go to ensure it hits just the right bright and tangy notes to balance the heat. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes more, until all the flavors meld.
Step 5
Garnish with the reserved cilantro leaves and serve with flatbread or rice, if desired.

Ratings

5 out of 5

762 user ratings

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Comments

Jewels2 years ago

This was really simple with amazing flavour, I served it over smashed potatoes mixed with cumin seed and serrano sautéed in ghee and chili cilantro pita on the side. A few caveats, I made some adjustments based on what I had on hand: not enough turmeric so I used some hot curry powder and reduced the cayenne and cinnamon accordingly. Additionally, I used tamarind chutney, which is less harsh than tamarind paste, so I used about 1/4 cup. More garlic and ginger would be welcome, too. Quick lunch

Faith2 years ago

This was delicious! I went with less water to make it more stew like. The layers of flavor are wonderful. I didn’t have tamarind paste so I used lime juice instead. I used three small limes, about 4 tablespoons worth. The stew really sucked up the brightness. So good! I also stirred in two cups of frozen peas at the end to boost it nutritionally. I served it over white rice, but tomorrow I’ll make brown rice to make it a perfect vegan meal(I used olive oil and not ghee).

Mary in Knoxville2 years ago

This is a perfect recipe. Simple to make. Perfectly seasoned. Use ghee, not olive oil. Use tamarind concentrate, not lime. Tamarind concentrate is packaged in a cellophane wrapper in brick form. Remove 1 cup of broth from pot and put into a bowl with 2 TBS of tamarind concentrate. Work the tamarind so that it melds into the broth. Return all to the pot.

Liz B.1 month ago

This was so easy and delicious! I used the almost-stock I had from poaching chicken with ginger earlier so this had an extra gingery kick that I loved. Halved the recipe and added half a buillion cube, and about 1.5 tbs of tamarind paste. Used somewhere between 4-5 cups liquid and it was perfectly soupy, and I didn’t let the lentils simmer as long as recipe indicated so they didn’t get mushy. Half the recipe made two huge bowls of soup - perfect for work lunches. Should’ve made more!

Liz B.2 weeks ago

Made this again a few weeks later because it was so good! This time used frozen ginger cubes from Trader Joe’s and coconut oil to sauté the aromatics in (used ghee last time - either works great here). Added a chopped tomato that needed to be used up and will always add tomato from now on - it added more tang and thickening, made a great soup even better.

Leslie L.2 months ago

I used chicken stock instead of water and added two diced carrots and three diced small tomatoes for a slightly chunkier soup. I didn't have cayenne so I used a tablespoon of chili flakes instead. So good!

Carol3 months ago

I prepared as directed, except used only 7 cups of water and added 6 tsp vegetable Better than Bullion concentrate. Also used 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper and 1 TBS tamarind paste. We really enjoyed the flavor and will make again.

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