By the Ancient Nutra Editorial Team
- This is a Sri Lankan style red lentil dhal for four, cooked in one pot in about 30 minutes, with one teaspoon of moringa powder stirred in at the end.
- Adding the moringa off the heat keeps its colour bright green and its grassy flavour gentle, rather than dull and bitter.
- It is an everyday dinner, not a treatment. The moringa is here as a leafy green, the way the fresh leaves have long been cooked in South Asian kitchens.
Some weeknights call for a dinner that asks almost nothing of you. Red lentils are made for those nights. They need no soaking, they collapse into a soft, golden pot in under 20 minutes, and they take on whatever you temper into them.
This version is a plain Sri Lankan parippu with one small change: a spoonful of green moringa powder stirred through just before serving. It gives the dhal a fresh, leafy note and green flecks, much as chopped greens would, and you skip the washing and chopping. Serve it with rice or roti and dinner is done.
What you need
- 1 cup red lentils (masoor dhal), rinsed until the water runs clear
- 1 small red onion, finely sliced, and 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 green chilli, slit, and 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 cup thick coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon Ancient Nutra's Moringa Powder
- For the tempering: 1 tablespoon coconut oil, 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds, 1 sprig curry leaves, 2 dried red chillies
- 2 1/2 cups water and salt to taste
How to make it
- Put the rinsed lentils, half the onion, the garlic, the green chilli, the turmeric and the water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam.
- Lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 15 to 18 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils are soft and falling apart.
- Stir in the coconut milk and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Warm through on low heat for 3 minutes. Keep it at a gentle simmer so the coconut milk does not split.
- Take the pot off the heat. Put the moringa powder in a small cup, add 2 tablespoons of the hot dhal liquid, and stir to a smooth paste so it does not clump. Stir the paste back into the pot.
- In a small pan, heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and wait until they start to pop, about 30 seconds. Add the rest of the onion and fry for 3 to 4 minutes until golden at the edges.
- Add the curry leaves and dried chillies, let them crackle for 10 seconds, then pour the whole tempering over the dhal. Stir once, taste and adjust the salt.
Yields four bowls. It thickens as it stands, so loosen leftovers with a splash of hot water.
Why the moringa goes in last
Moringa powder is simply the dried, ground leaf of the Moringa oleifera tree. Cooked into the pot from the start, it turns the dhal an olive brown and its flavour can tip towards bitter. Stirred in off the heat, it stays a bright green and tastes mild and grassy, a little like spinach with a peppery edge.
The paste step is worth the extra cup to wash. Fine leaf powders tend to float and clump when they hit hot liquid. Loosening the powder in a spoonful of liquid before it goes into the pot means it spreads evenly, with no dry pockets.
A moringa powder that is a vivid, fresh green rather than khaki or brown, and that lists moringa leaf alone, with no fillers or added sugar. Ancient Nutra's Moringa Powder 100g is made from the leaf of Moringa oleifera.
Variations
- Milder: leave out the green chilli and use one dried chilli in the tempering.
- Richer: swap half the water for a second 1/2 cup of coconut milk.
- More greens: add a handful of chopped fresh spinach with the coconut milk in step 3.
- Make ahead: cook the dhal up to step 3, chill for up to two days, then reheat and stir in the moringa and a fresh tempering just before serving.
If moringa is new in your kitchen, this guide to fitting moringa into the routine you already have covers the easy places to start. For a breakfast version, try the moringa scrambled eggs. The same tempering method is explained step by step in this guide to tempering without burning.
When to serve it
This is a weeknight main. Serve it hot with red rice, string hoppers or roti, alongside a simple vegetable or a fried egg. One teaspoon of moringa powder spread across four bowls is a cooking quantity, the same as a handful of chopped greens. Think of it as a filling dinner. No health benefit is claimed for the dish here.
Safety
Moringa leaf is widely eaten as a vegetable, and liver problems linked to it are rare: the NIH LiverTox database describes a single published case. Stop use and see a doctor if you notice unusual tiredness, nausea, loss of appetite, or dark urine (the documented case was anicteric, so jaundice is not the signal to wait for). Speak with your doctor first if pregnant, on blood-thinning medication, or on thyroid medication.
The bottom line
Red lentils, coconut milk and a sizzling tempering make a good dhal on their own. A teaspoon of moringa powder stirred in at the end adds a fresh green note without any extra prep. No moringa in the cupboard? Make the dhal exactly as written and stir in a handful of chopped spinach instead. When you want the green without the prep, Ancient Nutra's Moringa Powder is an easy pantry staple to keep on hand.
Moringa Powder 100g
Ground moringa leaf: a no-chop green for dhal, smoothies and soups.
Shop Moringa PowderSources and further reading
- Moringa, LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NCBI Bookshelf).
Written by the Ancient Nutra Editorial Team. Questions? Email info@ancientnutra.com or message Ancient Nutra on Instagram.
Medical disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Ancient Nutra products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Speak with a qualified healthcare provider before starting any new supplement, especially if you take prescription medication or have a medical condition.
