Do you ever read over a recipe and you say to yourself, there is no way that this can possibly taste good, but for some reason you just have to try it for yourself?
Yea, story of my life.
That is how the Green Monster happened, after all. [If you are curious to read ‘The story of the Green Monster’, see my post here.]
Anyways, I did not expect this Broccoli Dal would taste as good as it does. I came across this recipe in my Vegan Yum Yum Cookbook and I thought to myself, ‘How in the world could a broccoli soup taste good?’
I guess I still have broccoli issues that stem back to my childhood…
So of course, I made the soup. I’m really not afraid of Green things anymore.
Well, except Swiss Chard.
I’ve tried cooking chard many different ways and I still don’t ever see myself enjoying it. I’m still bitter over how many times we found Swiss Chard in our CSA box over the summer. If you ever find yourself in desperation to use up Swiss Chard that is stinking up your fridge, do not attempt to put Swiss Chard into a Green Monster. That’s all I’m going to say.
I still have nightmares of dirty gym socks.
Thankfully this soup is nothing like dirty gym socks. I was drawn to this soup because it has awesome cold-busting ingredients 1) Greens, 2) Indian spices. It will also clear your sinuses and flush out your body. Just trust me on this one!
Besides that, it tastes incredible.
The first time I made it, I followed the recipe to a tee and I loved it. The second time I made it, I had some new ideas and I changed some things around. I actually love it both ways. Today, I will share with you the adapted version…just have a tissue box ready when you eat it!
Energizing Broccoli Dal
Yield
5 cups (1250 mL)
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This unique spin on dal packs in a ton of green broccoli power! You'll feel energized by this light, and incredibly flavourful dish. This recipe is inspired by the Vegan Yum Yum Cookbook by Lauren Ulm.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 to 5 cups chopped fresh broccoli florets (from 1 large head)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
- 2 cups (500 mL) low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can light coconut milk
- 1 cup uncooked red lentils
- Fine sea salt, to taste (I used just over 1 teaspoon)
- 1 teaspoon garam masala spice mix (I love Arvinda's brand)
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons (22 to 30 mL) fresh lemon juice, to taste
- Paprika, to garnish
- Naan bread, for serving
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Directions
- Add the oil into a large saucepan and increase the heat to low-medium so the oil can preheat.
- Add the broccoli into a food processor and process until very finely chopped (about the size of rice grains).
- Add the cumin and mustard seeds into the saucepan with the oil. The seeds should sizzle and begin popping in the oil right away. As soon as the seeds start to pop, cover the saucepan immediately with a lid, and remove the saucepan from the heat source. Let sit until the seeds stop popping, then remove the lid and stir.
- Stir in the onion, and place the saucepan back over medium heat. Cook for 3 to 4 more minutes until the onion softens.
- Now, add the finely chopped broccoli, broth, entire can of coconut milk, lentils, 1/2 teaspoon salt, garam masala, turmeric, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
- Increase heat to high and bring to a low bowl. Reduce heat to medium, cover with lid, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Now remove the lid and stir, and continue simmering, uncovered, for another 10 minutes, until the lentils soften and the mixture thickens. Stir every now and then to make sure it doesn't stick.
- Stir in the lemon juice to taste.
- Ladle the dal into bowls and serve with naan bread or pita bread. Garnish with paprika and a lemon wedge, if desired.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Add oil to a large saucepan over low-medium heat and add in the uncooked red lentils, chopped sweet onion, ground cumin, and mustard seeds.
Cook on low-medium heat for about 6-9 minutes until the mustard seeds start popping a bit and the onion is tender.
Be careful because the mustard seeds will POP!! One hit me in the eye! It was quite hilarious, but only after I realized that I would not go blind like I thought.
Now prep the broccoli. I shaved some stems and also used the florets. Roughly chop the broccoli to make about 4.5 cups packed.
Now add the chopped broccoli into a food processor and process until very fine.
Like so.
Add in the vegetable broth and broccoli into the saucepan.
Stir well. Cook this mixture, covered if preferred, for about 20 minutes over low-medium heat, checking it often. Add kosher salt to taste.
I added a bit of water as the soup got thick while cooking.
After 20 minutes, add in the milk, lemon juice, turmeric, garam masala, red pepper flakes, and additional salt (to taste) if necessary.
Heat on low until the lentils are cooked through, about 7-10 more minutes. Adjust seasonings and serve with paprika and lemon wedges.
Prepare yourself for a spicy, incredibly delicious, creamy Broccoli soup with an Indian flare. Despite what I anticipated, the soup does not have a strong ‘broccoli’ taste at all. It is very mild and barely detectable.
Just have a tissue handy because this soup will flush out your system! I think it was the first time in a week that Eric could breathe through both nostrils…
you said: “I’m still bitter over how many times we found Swiss Chard in our CSA box over the summer. ” bitter! ha ha. I was forced to eat chard at summer camp, and it made me unhappy, though I like most greens now, so I should try it again. I love dal and I expect I would like this recipe. Yellow lentils, if you try them, are superb, BTW, and high in iron.
good to know…ill have to keep on the look out!
You just put all of my favourite ingredients into one! I love Indian spices…sounds delish!
Loved the taste, texture wasn’t for me. If this is you, an immersion blender can work wonders. Thanks!
Just made this for dinner and it was a hit. Funny how I have this book, but never bookmarked the recipe…then YOU make it, and I find myself whipping it up immediately! :)
Wow, that looks delicious! I love Indian spices. I would have never thought to make a broccoli dal!
Just made this! I got a TON more than 4-5 cups… :S Not sure why ??
Amazing soup!
Just wanted to let you know that I made this recipe last night. I used green lentils instead of red, and I used ground mustard (1 teaspoon) instead of 2 teaspoons mustard seeds. I also needed to let it cook about 30 minutes longer than you recommended for the lentils to cook. But other than that I followed the recipe exactly. It turned out really good…I mean REALLY good. You cannot taste the broccoli at all, and it was spicy, but not too spicy. Filling and satisfying. I actually had homemade vegetable broth that I had made (and froze) the week before so I was happy to have a chance to use it. I give the recipe 5 out of 5 stars. :-) Just wanted to give you some feedback.
My husband made this last night and we loved it! So comforting and healthy. Next time we decided we would try lime instead of lemon and some chopped coriander on top before serving.
It’s a keeper, thank you x
I just made this recipe for my decidedly non-vegan family and it turned out uuh-mazing! I never would have thought about putting broccoli in the recipe, but the texture was just right.
I didn’t put in any almond milk and added sumac in addition to the other spices.
Thanks for the inspiration, Angela!
We made this and so delish! Thank you.
I’m looking forward to making this soon!
Your dal looks delicious and healthy too. I love that you’ve provided step by step instructions.
I’d love for your to submit them to Vegolicious, a vegetarian food photo gallery where readers can browse beautiful photos to discover new recipes and wonderful blogs. If you would like to share this recipe with our readers please submit a photo along with a link to this post.
Really awesome soup!!! Will be on the rotation from now on :)
Fulfilled d’all my dreams in Southern Ontario.. thanks!
Random, but I came across this recipe the other day and decided to make it. and it was absolutely delicious!! thanks!
glad to hear that!
Just made this and it was absolutely incredible! The almond milk added a level of creaminess that mirrors the richness of coconut milk and other creams. Thank you for this! What a perfect dish for a cold night in San Francisco. =)
made that yesterday as a lunch for school this week and I have to admit it looks a little funky but it tastes really good. I couldn’t find any red lentils so i went with normal ones and I also couldn’t find that marsala you where asking for, so I went with marsala tikka and i have a feeling the one you are asking for would make it taste even better!!! thank you for your great recipes! Love Love LOVE them!!!
I love this recipe! I have made it several times and my husband and 18 month old son gobble it up. Thank you so much for sharing! I was wondering what kind of bouillon you use. I have tried several brands and have yet to find one that I like.
Hi, Angela
I’m new to the whole Vegan thing; I just started a little over a month ago. I am cooking Vegan for me and non-Vegan for my husband and 5 kids. I’ve tried a bunch of your recipes already and every one has been amazing! So far I’ve tried the mac and cheeze, the broccoli and cheeze soup, the roasted tomato pesto, and the green monster. I just finished making this soup for my dinner tonight. It is fabulous! I can’t wait until dinner. Thanks for all of your help making my switch so easy and delicious. :)
Hey Jennifer, Thanks for your lovely comment and for trying out so many recipes! I appreciate your feedback so much.
Hi, I just made this recipe tonight and it is very tasty. However, it did not turn out nearly as creamy or yellow as yours.It was much more brothy even though I only used the 4.5 cups of vegetable broth that you suggest in the recipe. Any ideas why it lacked the creaminess?
Eating this right now. So tasty!
THIS WAS AMAZING!!! Thankyou so much for the recipe, hands down my favourite soup ever!
Hi Angela,
Instead of saying this looks great, I’m saying it is great!!!
I just made it and it is so tasty and spicy, thanks for posting this.
I love your site and I’m thrilled about your new book, good for you and Congratulations!
Keep the great stuff and vibes coming.
This was amazing!!! Left out the chili flakes but otherwise followed the recipe to a T.
Was well received and got requests for the recipe. I’m not vegan and I loved it!
Thank you for sharing.
Love this!! I woke up this morning and had the strangest craving to cook a lentil dish and came straight to your blog because I just knew you’d have something great. I didn’t have much broccoli in the fridge so I supplemented with cauliflower and then threw in a few handfuls of spinach at the end.
The combination of spices is wonderful and I love the texture of the dish! The lemon juice is definitely essential. Can’t wait to serve this for dinner.
I made this tonight and it was amazing! I did use green lentils because they’re all my grocery had (polar vortex kept me from getting to whole foods). I enjoyed the texture very much but have nothing to compare it to! Also, I used canned light coconut milk in place of almond milk. Fabulous recipe!!!!!!
I just made this tonight and O freaking MG it is so good!
I’ve just cooked this soup, but doesn’t taste very much. Maybe next time I should try it without mustard. It makes there some strange flavour.
Made this tonight. DELICIOUS!
Hi Angela, I love your blog and cookbook (that I got for Christmas). I am definitely gonna try your Brokkoli-Dal in the next days. Had to laugh about your enthusiasm for Swiss Chard. I had the same attitude until I learned the simplest and super delicious way to prepare it from my boyfriends italian mum. It’s essentially just steaming the Swiss chard until soft, put into a bowl, add good amounts of fresh lemon juice, olive oil and salt, mix… tadaaa finito. It makes an amazing green side to any mediterranian dish =)
Keep up with this great and inspiring blog!
Loved this! There’s a local coffee shop near my work and they make soups daily from scratch, and of them is an awesome broccoli dal. They post the ingredient list but I never have time to write it down; I do remember they used coconut milk so that is what I put in (used light version). Also, I just chopped the broccoli and threw them in, then used an immersion blender at the end to make it creamy. I accidentally added too much water so it was quite liquidy but still delicious! Thanks for posting.
Mine didn’t look nearly as colorful and beautiful but it tasted darn good :) and easier than I thought too
I have made this easy peasy dal quite a few times and it is absolutely delicious! My carnivore partner loves it and it is his favourite lunch. I have tweaked the recipe a bit, like a few other readers I am substituting the milk for half a can of light coconut milk and instead of the blender (it takes such a long time to clean it!) I just finely chop the broccoli.The colour is wonderful and the texture is perfect.
This was absolutely delicious. my lentils were a little thin on the ground (barely had a cup), so I cut back some of the milk. I used coconut oil, and also added a handful of fresh curry leaves that insist on falling off of my neighbour’s plant that I am supposedly “taking care of” while he is in Asia. I am an inherently lazy cook, and would eat the same salad every day if left to my own devices. Your site keeps me right…I have yet to make something from your site that has not turned out and been delicious!
This turned out really well. I’m annoyed I don’t have more to eat. I didn’t add lemon or milk and I used curry powder instead of garam masala and just a pinch of cumin with some added frozen corn and peas. Despite my inability to follow a recipe it turned out great. I cooked it a little long so the red lentil just melted into a thick sauce for the veggies. Yummy.
Yum, Natalie! Your recipe tweaks sound delicious. I’m glad you enjoyed the dish!
This is soooo gooood! I have made it twice already. My family loves it.
Absolutely delicious! I’ll definitely be making this one again :)
This is such a comfort meal! Really tasty and perfect with rice or potatoes as a meal for dinner. I have frozen this in portions and I am really enjoying it. 5 stars for sure!
I’m happy to hear you’re enjoying the dal, Sharon! :)
Hi Angela,
It looks like this recipe has a bit different directions if you read the step by step at the top versus the directions along with pictures, such as adding the milk before you cook versus after its cooked for 20 min. Maybe I’m reading it wrong? Which version should I follow?
Thanks!
Ah-mazing! Felt a bit of a cold coming on and this nipped it in the bud! Delish! Love all the ingredients and so easy to make! This will be on our rotation for sure! Thanks for all your recipes!
I’m so happy to hear it helped stave off that cold, Sharon! And, of course, that you enjoyed the recipe, to boot ;) Wishing you a healthy fall season!!
Truly delicious. I have lived in Asia for 15 years and wa so lucky to visit India numerous times. This soup reminds me of the beautiful people and their food in India. I added some extra curry powder for more heat. Yummm. Thanks Angela
I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed it, Antonia! :)
I made this tonight – it’s the first recipe of yours I’ve tried and it worked out really well, so thank you, Angela! I have a naughty habit of tinkering with recipes and I added a can of corn kernels and a small diced eggplant. I also used 1 each of long green and red chillis instead of chilli flakes. Increased amounts of every thing else accordingly and it came out sooo tasty! So many freezer meals =)
Thanks for sharing those great additions you made, Melissa! I love experimenting in the kitchen, too, and it’s always so great to hear about the twists readers add to my recipes. :)
Great! I’ve been eating this with rice and samosas and it makes a wonderfully comforting meal! My body feels good after eating so thanks for this!
So happy to hear you (and your body!) are loving the dish, Hannah :) Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
A note for the chard haters:
Swiss chard contains oxalic acid, which has an unpleasant taste. If you boil it uncovered for three minutes to get rid of that acid, it tastes mild and a little bit sweet (especially the fat stems of the white-stemmed variety, which take an extra two minutes of boiling — but don’t overdo the boiling time or they lose flavor and the texture deteriorates). I got the instructions from The World’s Healthiest Foods website (although I eat it warm with just a bit of Smart Balance) here – well down on this informational page:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=16
If you haven’t tried boiling it, you might give this vegetable another try to see if you like it that way.
Is it just me but the written instructions are different from the visual ones??
Hey Jodey, Yes it’s possible! I updated this recipe recently for the app. Whenever in doubt please follow the written recipe directions. :)
This is excellent! I didn’t have mustard seeds, and I used a can of coconut cream that is NOT light. My husband also loves this. Next time, I will have mustard seeds on hand. Thanks for this fantastic recipe!
mmm good call on using full fat coconut milk…never a bad idea! :) So glad you both loved it.
I’m very late to the party on this one, but I made this last night and had to review and comment! I discovered this on the OSG app when making my grocery list for the week and decided to give it a try. I subbed cauliflower for the broccoli (the store was out of organic broccoli) and it was still absolutely delicious! Very light and flavorful. I also did not have mustard seeds so I used a whole grain dijon and it translated very well. Enjoying the leftovers as I type this, will definitely be making this again! I served it last night with freshly toasted naan and for lunch having with half an avocado for cooling purposes. This recipe most definitely packs a punch of spice and will you right up! Going to keep this one on tap when any stuffiness arises. Thoroughly enjoyed!
Hey Carrie, Oh I love your swaps!! I’m going to try this out next time. Thanks for your app support too!
I made this a few years ago and came back to it today, because it is just SO comforting and tasty! Thank you for sharing so many great recipes, Angela!
Aww thank you so much Gina!! I always forget about this recipe and I’m so glad your comment reminded me to make it soon :)
This is amazing! Still a hit at my house :) Do you have any tips for making in a pressure cooker (I have an instant pot)?
Do you have any recommendations for modifying this to make in an instant pot? I’ve made it many times on the stove and love it!