Dal Bhat Power

Ovulation Phase breakfast soup

I went to write this recipe and realized Dal Bhat was one of the first recipes I ever wrote here on Substack! But my recipe has evolved, simplified and improved so it felt only fair to update it. Also just realizing I started taking cute photos when I began this recipe and totally forgot halfway through so…sorry about that.

Dal bhat quite simply means lentils with rice. Thats all it is, but it’s also so much more than that!

‘Dal Bhat power, 24 hour’ is the slogan you will hear time and again in Nepal. It’s on t-shirts, bags, signs. But for good reason, the country runs on lentils and rice and so did we the 3 months we lived there! My husband and I were building houses in Nepal during the aftermath of the huge earthquakes that occurred in 2015 and we ate this every day (alongside other things, but often just Dal Bhat!) and felt the healthiest and strongest we ever have, truly.

Lentils (as well as beans and some vegetables like cauliflower and carrots, surprisingly!) make a complete protein when paired with rice. Lentils are also super mineral rich, high in folate and fiber making them great for your Follicular and Ovulation phases, and can even help combat the onset of PMS (!!).

Plus, all the spices and herbs are great for you, and the simplicity of this dish makes it really easy on the stomach and healing.

So this is not only a super cheap meal but truly nutritious, filling and super delicious.

It’s also one of those beautiful recipes that once you learn you can mess with- switch up the ingredients to use up what’s in your fridge or create different flavor profiles! This recipe is not perfectly traditional but I like it this way.

Sometimes I pair this with some curried chicken or other vegetables, and sometimes we eat it simply- classic Dal with rice!

Note:

-if you don’t have a pressure cooker, lentils can be cooked on the stovetop. Once the aromatics have sauteed, add the soaked and drained lentils to the pot, stir and saute them for a minute and then add the water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a low simmer for about 20 minutes or until lentils have softened (this can vary dependent on lentil variety or how old they are, which is why I like to use the pressure cooker, it’s a bit more predictable)

-if you prefer your lentils to hold their shape more, pan fry them for 3-4 minutes before adding water and make sure not to overcook. If cooking lentils on the stove, you can do this when you add them to the pan of aromatics, just turn up the heat for a minute and keep a good eye not to burn the other ingredients.

-you can sub 4 or 5 teaspoons of garam masala for the whole spices…I cant tell you exactly as I haven’t measured that but go with y9our heart and how strongly spiced you usually like things!

Ingredients

2 cups red lentils, rinsed

6 cups of filtered water

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

4 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil

1 medium onion, any color, finely chopped

1 1/2 - 2 inches of ginger, grated

3 to 4 cloves of garlic, grated

1 small jalapeno, seeded and chopped (optional)

2 small red chillies, seeded (optional)

2 inch cinnamon stick, broken up

4 cloves

6 peppercorns

1 teaspoon cumin seeds or powder

1 teaspoon coriander seeds or powder

2 cardamom pods or 1 teaspoon powder

1 13.6 oz can of coconut cream

1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped

Salt to taste

Method

1. Soak the lentils in hot water for 30 minutes to 1 hour (or ideally, in cold water overnight).

2. Drain and rinse the lentils, then add them to a pressure cooker or instant pot with the 6 cups of water and turmeric. Pressure cook for 10 minutes for slightly firmer lentils and 15 for softer. (to cook on the stove, see note above)

3. Using a coffee grinder, grind up the cinnamon stick, cloves, peppercorns, cumin seeds, coriander, seeds and cardamom until a fine powder.

4. Next, melt ghee in a large pot on medium-low heat and add the onion & jalapeno (if using) with a large pinch of salt. Stir and saute until onions are translucent, stirring often- up to 10 minutes.

5. Add the ginger and garlic and saute for another couple of minutes.

6. Throw the spices into the pot, stirring to combine everything and saute for another 3-4 minutes until spices are fragrant.

7. Add the cooked lentils to the spice mixture, stir really well and salt generously- start with 1/2 a teaspoon and keep adding until it tastes right, probably around a teaspoon. Gently simmer for 5 minutes or so until the flavors are blending and it smells yummy.

8. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut cream and chopped cilantro, reserving some of each for garnish if you like.

9. Serve over rice with a sprinkle of cilantro and if you wanna go really wild, a dollop of ghee or grass fed butter.

10. Serve over rice with