How to Make Quick, Easy Dal (lentils) with Rajiv Surendra 

It’s SO EASY to love this man. Great personality Great character Great accents Great information Great teacher Rajiv… IS just GREAT

My 11 year old son watched this video with me. After some time, he said, "Why does it feel like Rajiv has a connection with every object in his kitchen?" 😊 He also loves to eat daal. His favorite is Chana daal.

I just made this recipe, and I am in HEAVEN eating it right now. I did measure just in case I ended up wanting to recreate this exactly, so if anyone wants them, here are the measurements I used. 1 cup dal 2 cups water 1/2 a large onion 1 green finger-shaped pepper like the kind you used 9 fresh curry leaves (side note - I was amazed that I found fresh ones locally when you said you couldn't find them in Manhattan of all places!) - 3 large garlic cloves - 1 tsp salt - 1/2 tsp turmeric - 1/2 tsp cumin - 1/4 tsp black pepper - 2 Tbsp coconut cream - 1 Tbsp butter I set a timer for 15 minutes and it was VERY mushy already when I checked it, so next time I'll set it for a little bit less time. Nevertheless, it is. DELICIOUS and I will not be able to stop making this. Side note - I found your channel because I watched a RU-vid short on bobbin lace that left me wanting more detail, and someone in the comments of that video mentioned that you had a better, more comprehensive video on bobbin lace, and I hadn't heard of you but i searched for it and now I'm making the yummiest dal I've ever tasted. Thanks a million for the recipe!

Watching your channel feels like watching an adult version of Mister Roger’s Neighborhood. Thank you for sharing these slow, thoughtful places of joy. Your videos are one of the few things I’m watching with my 2.5 yr old. Also excited to make Dal soon.

Dahl and chicken curry are simmering on the stove, the sink has been thoroughly cleaned. Next job: make roti. Thanks, Rajiv, for sharing your family recipes. They are now in my cookbook as "Rajiv's ..." Oooh, I can't wait for dinner! Maybe I'll have it for brunch.

Sometimes I watch Rajiv being super peaceful and crafty and I think that it’s interesting that he is/was an actor and then he starts talking in three different accents and I think “oh there it is” 😂

"I'm not going to give you measurements, this is the way to learn." - Every Desi mom to their kid, ever

Awww the Tamil made my heart burst 😊❤ I love this so much! வாழ்க தமிழ்!

Aloha from Maui. I made daal tonight for the first time, following along with you. Here in the islands we have fresh curry leaves available. Yay! It was simple, quick, and delicious so thank you very much. I did use canned coconut milk as a shortcut. It may have been too much coconut milk in relation to the amount of lentils. I'll get it right next time. Mahalo.

Thanks for being enthusiastic about simple, affordable, healthy food. I also appreciate the explanation of why to rinse lentils and rice. Despite cooking for decades, no one said 'why'.

I smile and laugh each time you say, "I don't measure anything." No one in our family measures anything, including me. It's the way I was taught to cook, and how I taught all of my children growing up. They all love to cook now, and my son could pass for a gourmet chef. He has an extensive palate and can tell you almost to 99% accuracy exactly what he tastes in a dish he is trying for the first time. Love your childhood family memories and stories that you share with your viewers. After all, that's what food and cooking is all about, amazing ingredients and the love measured in that brings everyone together around each meal. Looking forward to each new video you share. Blessings.

I don't know what it is about this guy he can make any video and you just watch it. I think his enthusiasm is so addictive.

I know this isn't related to this video's content but I wanted yo be sure you would read this comment. Can you please do a video on making your soap? I'm learning so much from you. Thank you🙏🏽💕

My mom and I watched your video this morning, and she loved it! Especially you singing Tamil songs. She says you have a lovely voice and if you'd ever consider making a channel on singing random oldie Tamil songs ^^

Great point about beans cooked in metal pots. We live in Maine, and New England Baked Beans are part of Maine Cooking. One of my favorite Maine Authors, Robert Tristram Coffin wrote a book mentioning that "a bean pot" had to be clay over metal. He mentions when cooking beans in a wood cookstove the wood used permeates the slow cooked beans slightly. Apparently canned baked beans have a strong metal flavor too, compared to the Bean Pot/Wood Cookstove version. Thank you for sharing your delicious recipe! You are the BEST!

Growing up in a Mexican American household there was always a pot of beans on the stove. We ate breakfast lunch and dinner. I can’t wait to try this recipe with lentils which I love in any form. Now to buy some curry leaves……

Rajiv please take a trip to Sri Lanka and make a series about the wonderful country.

Love me some red lentils! They are a favorite around here, especially with celeriac as a soup. Heaven! You can grow your own curry plants even if you have just a balcony. Bring them in when the temperature drops below 50 degrees F.

Raj, you are a National Treasure! Thank you for this sharing. 🕉 ❤️ 🙏

Awww Rajiv you make my heart burst with happiness. Its a joy to watch you talk about anything! Youre an amazing young man. Love your videos! Grandma from Australia 🦘🌏

How come, after all these years and all the inventions we have created, we still don't have smellovision?? I kept inhaling, because I wanted, so much, to smell that dahl! It looks delicious! I think I have most of the ingredients at home, I might add some fresh spinach at the end (because they need to be eaten today!), so that's dinner sorted for tonight! Is there something I could substitute the dried curry leaves with (I'm in the Netherlands and have not come across fresh or dried ones for a few years now)? And would you eat it as-is, on it's own, or would you eat it with rice and/or naan? Thank you for sharing!

I made this for dinner tonight and it will now be in our regular rotation! I had been looking for a new lentil curry recipe and this dal is amazing :) Warming, cozy, easy, cheap. I'm sold! It's quicker and less expensive than the recipe I'd been using before and even more delicious. So happy I found this channel. My house still smells amazing.

Dual specialty store in the east village Carrie’s fresh curry leaves from time to time. Plus there is Sigiri above the store, one of the only Sri Lankan restaurants in Manhattan

I'm nervous about cooking and eating my own food, but with Rajiv's calm guidance, I believe my culinary dreams are possible.

Oh wow! I love this recipe Rajiv. I also love it when you let the intrusive thoughts win and enter the Australian/South African monologue explaining the intersection of song rights and the absence of culinary ambiance usually present in your home

Looks so delicious, I'm vegan and love cooking South Asian cuisine often because of how vegan-friendly it is. I especially love making dal and putting lots of fresh curry leaves, tamarind and ginger as well :-)

yum! daal and boiled rice with hot pickle - ultimate comfort food. Like mac & cheese or chicken soup for westerners. for us in terms of measurements it's usually 1 cup daal and 3.5 to 4 cups water after washing the daal. If u soak daal for a few hours 3.5 will be more than enough.

Thus guy is just amazing. He make everything elegantly and like a masterpiece. I can just watch him all day.

You are the most entertaining persona on you tube. What an original! You are so genuine and so hard to find these days.

I made this and poached an egg in it. SO GOOD! I’ve made other dals before but this is the easiest and one of the tastiest that i’ve made. I also paired it with the tamil salad in your other video. Such an amazing meal that I will definitely be making again and again

You’ve inspired me to make this dish. I absolutely love your warm and inviting kitchen.

Watching your channel is a treat to me. You made me smile with all your tamil singing.

That looks yummy!!! Now I am on the hunt for curry leaves! Update: I made it.....oh yum!! My whole family loves it. It's so simple and yet so satisfying!

I became vegan recently and have been learning about good sources of protein and heard that lentils are excellent. I have been searching for ways to prepare them and thank you. This is perfect from which one to purchase to the cooking and seasoning process. I am so grateful for your lifestyle teachings because when I was young I was left alone a lot and these skills I never got a chance to learn! I am such a fan!!

Curry powder, Chicken curry , Roti , Dahl... what a feast we're learning to build 🙏

Thanks Rajiv ...looks tasty ...will give it a go. Down here in New Zealand (Auckland) we can actually get fresh Curry leaves from the market, we also bought a small plant we have potted up and is looking perky, there is even one down at the local dairy that has grown into a huge Tree!

That is a truly great recipe. It takes all the complications out of it, and allows the spices to soak into the mixture. Love the idea of adding the coconut - transformative- and the knob of butter - heavenly. But, I hope you don't mind me saying this, I think you need to emphasise that the curry leaves are KEY - don't you think? It's what gives it the aromatic flavour which permeates and plays with the other spices. Truly, it would not taste the same without the curry leaves. By the way love the statue of the Virgin Mary in your kitchen, my grandmother used to have a massive statue of St Anthony in the sitting room, and we often had to pass in front of it on the way to the kitchen ... talk about eyes following mischievous children! Thanks for the great recipe and effortless way you seem to have told us about it. The Tamil music - short as it was- was a bonus!

I can't even smell spicy food and still I can't miss a single second of your video! Thank you! You give me a sense of peace and calm.

the asbestos hands took me out haha! my mom prepares daal similar to this method, but we call it makhano daal! (meaning smeared/softened(?) lentils in bengali) where all the ingredients are added to the pot and simmered~ she also measures everything with her eyeballs and tells me how different the cooking tastes in clay pots over wood burning fires!! (we call them mati hari)

I do enjoy lentils of all types, however red lentils are very special to me. The aroma while cooking is something I really enjoy. I can't wait to try your recipe, especially because I adore Indian cuisine. (vegan style) For decades now I have made one of my favorite dishes ever, Red Lentil Soup Lebanese style, taught to me by my in-laws. I'm off now to find Curry leaves, or a Curry plant, near me in Ajijic Mexico! Many thanks for all the wonderful things you do.

This looks like a wonderful fall/winter dish. Thank you so much for showing us how you cook this. I'm so happy you have your own channel! 🍜

I love a good vegan friendly recipe. Thank you for sharing an authentically beautiful dish. Can’t wait to make it!

I made this step-by-step for dinner tonight and it looks a little different since I used lentils I already had in the kitchen, but the FLAVOR is AMAZING. It’s a hit with the whole family. Thank you Rajiv!

im obsessed with your videos. Eager to learn about all things from you. Cooking videos are some of my fav but I'll watch anything you want to teach us or show us. You just simply appreciate the finer details of life. This looks absolutely delicious.

I just looooooooove your energy. More food videos please, can't get enough. Thank you for your presence 😊

I'm in bed with covid and all I can think about is wanting to eat that dahl. You make simplicity beautiful.

I made this as I followed along to your video, Rajiv...it's smelling divine. 🤪 I used lime kaffir leaves as I had no currey leaves, and chopped up a just freshly picked green chilli! 🌶 I'd usually make some indian bread with sweet potatoes and flour, but I don't have any sweet potatoes, or kumera, as we call them here in New Zealand. The rice is on, too. Can't wait to try it with my man. Love, Jacqueline from New Zealand. 🌺

Aloha!!! I wrote comments before, but I am watching this again! My guy and I love your vegan 🌱 vegetarian recipe! Thank you for this. I appreciate all your artistic perspective on this vlog and all your other videos! Thank you

Does it a little diff to mainland tamils ... indian tamils ... but oh my he nailed it and has made all tamils proud! love love love love this guy! he motivates me to live nicely!

I do the same with my Italian music when I cook. I mostly play Bocelli and Dean Martin. My whole building knows when I'm cooking pasta 😆

What a beautiful gift you have. Home, life, cooking; so beautifully shared with us. You’re calming demeanor brings us to a presence of enjoying the moment were in, that makes all the difference. May you be blessed beyond measure.

Yummmmm! I’m moving into my new house in two weeks. Can’t wait to have a Tamil feast once I find all my dishes again!

I just discovered you and I'm excited to try all your recipes...I love your style of cooking and you have a beautiful nature. Thanks for sharing the joy and skills.

TY! I’ve been craving Dahl. You gave me the courage to try making it.

Hey Raj from a fellow Tamil Raj! Really enjoying your videos, particularly these cooking ones. I hope you continue making them, but would encourage you to add a little more context to the recipes than just "Tamil." My parents (both from Tamil Nadu) and almost all Tamil families I know use toor dal, not masoor dal for parrapu / sambhar and use a very different tadka so I'm curious if this is a family / cultural / regional difference. Tamil cuisine, like all South Asian cuisine, is vast and varied, so looking forward to learning more. Cheers!

My sister lived in Hong Kong for many years, and when her kids were small, she had a Sri Lankan nanny that lived with them. Nanda was the most wonderful cook. She would call me into the kitchen every afternoon and ask me if I wanted to taste her cooking. It was so delicious. One day she and a group of friends were all traveling some distance to pray at a shrine. She asked all the ladies to make everything vegetarian, so I could enjoy everyone’s cooking. We went on the train and the fairy and the bus; everyone was singing Sri Lankan songs and were so happy. We visited the religious site, and afterwards made a big picnic. Everyone was so happy to share their special day with me, and I was so honored to have been invited. The ladies were all quite small and petite, and I was 5’11” which was a novelty to them. So all the ladies asked to take a picture with me. It tickles me that I’m in some photo albums out there, and they may be telling someone about the time the tall American joined them for the day. Was such a special memory, and your episode made it all come back clear as yesterday. I’m looking forward to trying your recipe! I could almost smell the cooking from here. ❤

Dear Rajiv thank you so much for this recipe. I've made but never really cared for lentils however your Dahl is fabulous! I tried it "plain", with a little butter, and with coconut milk. So so good! You are so funny and I so enjoy your videos.

I love how you made this instructional vid so multi-experiential! I got all the ingredients ready made it with you the first time and it was delicious. Now to find songs to play while cooking the next batches (because I need lentils for my diet almost every day, and this version beats the other one I've knows from my childhood, IMO).

Your background music has kind of beautiful day in the neighborhood vibe. Very appropriate, considering you’re our educating friend in a calm positive environment living in NY cooking Tamil fare for (me) here in NC and lots of other people in lots of other neighborhoods. 🙂🤓☺️💜💜

The music in the background is fabulous. Took me a wonderful restaurant in NYC 30 years ago. TY

I came across this video and am an immediate subscriber. I adore the vibes of this video, the chill atmosphere, the beautiful calligraphy, plus ofc the great recipe. Thank you Rajiv!

Love these cooking videos. I know how to cook Indian food, but Love to watch your videos. I learn new tips and tricks from your videos. Lots of love from my family.

Greetings from Malaysia! Love watching ur cooking videos. Over here in Malaysia as a multi-racial country of Malays, Indian and Chinese, Tamil is a large majority of Indian ethnicity hence a lot of wonderful Indian food here and its wonderful to watch others make their version of Indian cooking. Ur cooking videos is very soothing and informative and it also feels like having a conversation between friends while cooking together. I hope you do come out with more cooking videos. Thumbs up for the good work 😚👍 Much love and hugs! ❤

Thanks for your cooking vids! After doing my best to emulate my husband’s family-style (Tamil - Sri Lankan diaspora in Toronto) cooking with recipes online, this Parippu and your chicken curry are the best yet!

Love it just used my clay pot and curry (fresh) leaves, would always forget about them. But after hearing it’s hard for you to get fresh. I’m like really ok let’s go today. So it’s on and this will be a staple recipe. Thank you from So Cal.

I like to eat dal and rice for breakfast. I really appreciate this homestyle approach and plan on adopting this style of dal. Much quicker than the way I have been making it. Thanks!

Oh Yum! We've just discovered Red Lentils and love, love, love. I am excited to make this! Thank you!

Thank you so much for the wonderful vegan 🌱 recipe!!!!!

Just love love your recipes are there any new ones. Please show some more home cooking.

I love Dahl and I prefer red lentil Dahl. So I shall definitely give this a go……! I think I could live on Dahl (if I lived on my own!!!)

.What a lesson in cooking and culture! Thanks.

Thank you Rajiv . I feel the same sense of self nurturing and comfort as I saw emanate from you while you were cooking.

I enjoy watching the careful, fluid handwriting at the end of these videos. Discipline personified.

I just made this, eating it now and it’s delicious.

I tried this, didn’t have the exact ingredients (curry leaves, cumin seeds) so I just “winged “ it, it turned out amazing!!! Thank you!

So close to my family's recipe, I use this video as a step reminder to not forget important details

I tried it tonite! I don’t know if it came out like your auntie’s, but I had fun making it! I love it! Thank you👏🏾👏🏾

My son and I have to make this soon! I love lentils!!!

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves if you like it's taste. I love dal curry that way.

Oh this guy...he's so fun!!! This accent or that accent, whatever he is presenting is so entertaining, and you learn something...right.

I did it, Rajiv! And me and my family LOVED it.

Love dal and love your singing Rajiv. I’m definitely trying this recipe soon. I’ll even search up some Tamil music to play while making it to help infuse some authenticity to the dish ❤

Beautiful video can't wait to copy and taste this . Thank you !

Hello from Toronto! You’re right, fresh Indian ingredients are pretty easy to find here, there so many various various Indian grocers here. I’m from Punjab so we cook daal differently obviously, we make a “turdkha” with the onions, garlic, chilli, curry leaves, turmeric, cumin, ghee, etc and then we add it to the daal at the end after the daal is cooked though. Either way, I love daal, red, brown, green, all the hundreds of varieties ❤

Thank you, Rajiv. I love this. I'm not a cook, but your presentation makes me want to try.

I love the simplicity of the meals and the utensils and cooking pots you use. ❤️

I'll definitely give this a try. The recipe I've been using is more complicated, however delicious! I find it helpful when you give approximate amounts used, especially with spices. Great video. Looking forward to enjoying this recipe! Thanks! Update...I made this dahl, and I am here to say it's fast, easy, delicious, and extremely satisfying!

Your videos make me feel so safe and happy ❤ Thank you

Thank you, an amazing recipe.. I’ve made it twice now, just gets better. I have a Korean clay pot that serves perfectly.. Really enjoyed the sharing conversation too. As a senior couple, 83/90 yrs, we enjoy finding new ways to make memories.. this one is a real keeper.

Done! It was delicious, thank you for this recipe 🌼 have a pleasurable day~

Oh I absolutely love Daal!!! And I absolutely love Rajiv! Thank you for sharing your recipe, I cook daals everyday and have now learned 186 different varieties. You are so inspiring and I just adore your sweet little kitchen! Rajiv please come to Asheville NC and come stay with us!

Stumbled across your page in my recommended videos. So happy to have found you! Do you take the dried curry leaves out when done cooking?

Rajiv, if you ever write books, I think at least one of them should be called Doing Things With Love, because that just shines through in all you do. I am very uptight about household tasks, and am trying to come to a place of doing them carefully out of love, rather than out of shame or guilt.

A man who cooks His wife would be so lucky 😍🥰

I am part Italian, I do not measure either. I like to use the mortar and pestle to break up Italian herbs then toast them and then add them to my recipe.

Hi Raj My parents are from Trinidad & Tabago 🇹🇹 I remember my mom making this for the family often, we would eat Dal with white rice. My up bringing and culture in african based foods and east asian foods was so everyday for me. I love roti with dal!

Ohhh this looks great. I eat a lot of dal based on Meera Sohta's recipes, which are mainly Gujarati, and I love how cheap and delicious they are, but they all require two pans - one to boil the dal and one to prepare whatever goes in it. I will definitely be trying this as a one-pot addition to the lineup!

I finally made this tonight after I found a local store with fresh curry leaves. Amazing!

Thank you so much! I have always loved red lentil Dahl and cook it regularly but this was simple and heart warming. I love the way you do everything and your lovely little kitchen feels cosy and inviting, with its beautiful vibe and treasured items. I recently bought a pestle and mortar and I grind up coriander and cumin to go on everything. I’ve never thought of doing black pepper this way, but will do from now on. Many congratulations on this wonderful channel. More simple, gentle cooking videos will be anticipated! 😅❤

Tried dal for the first time recently its really a delicious comfort food thats light on the stomach while still filling, so excited to add this to my random recipes :)