In constant search of cheap meal ideas, I decided to give this a try. As written, I would have to rate this a 2 because lentils don't need to be soaked before cooking and the recipe calls for too much water-the general ratio is 2 parts water to one part lentils. If I had followed the directions of the recipe, this would have been REALLY watery/liquidy and I think pretty gross. Here is what I did . . . I rinsed 2 cups of brown lentils and simmered them with 4 cups of water, adding more water as needed until they were cooked to the right texture (was doubling the recipe). I added 5 cloves of chopped garlic and doubled the rest of the spices, except the cayenne (too spicy for my 3 yr old). As it simmered, it smelled good but looked boring so I sauteed some shredded carrots, yellow bell pepper, and zucchini in a separate pan while I caramelized the onion (a whole one). When the lentils were done, I added the sauteed veggies and the caramelized onions to the pot and stirred it up. I served it over Basmati Rice, topped it with cilantro and it still needed something. Paneer would have been great but I didn't have it so used some white crumbly Mexican cheese on the top (feta would have been great too). The end result was amazingly delicious! I will definitely make it again-in the future, I will add more veggies, caramelize 2 onions, cut down the lentils and use veggie broth to simmer the lentils in, plus add paneer to the top. Thanks for the idea and great spice combinati

Turned out great. I added about 9 curry leaves though. Used a little extra Turmeric. Also some people have been saying that they reduced the water, you're not supposed to. Authentic Pakistani Dal (Lentil "curry") is a bit soupy. Since its eaten with Basmati rice or bread, the soupyness gives it the desired consistency. Otherwise its too dry.

This is so tasty and full of flavor, I loved it. Did not give it 5 stars due to having to adjust the recipe. I decreased the water to 2 cups(I cant imagine how soupy it would have been with 4 cups), also I doubled the coriander, turmeric, and cumin. I will make this again.... probably many times. I think I will try it with some Feta occasionally too. Thanks for submitting this recipe.

The flavor was good, but the recipe seemed to call for way to much water as my lentils became a pot of mush.

Great lentil recipe. My boyfriend and I enjoy lentils that pack a punch of flavor, and I like easy clean-up - so I made a few adjustments to the original recipe. I added one carrot and two small potatoes, peeled and cut into small bite sized pieces into the pot of water. I added the onion, chopped to the water, along with the garlic, and 1 cup of lentils and about three cups of water. I doubled all of the spices, except the cayenne pepper, which I increased by 1/4 a teaspoon. And instead of salt I added garlic salt and onion salt. I also added the milk, following the directions. Best lentils I have made!

I had to interrupt my work day and my lunch to rate this one - I am eating the leftovers for lunch today and this is by far the best lentil recipe I have ever made. I took the advice of some of the others - doubled the spices and added shredded carrots and bite-size potato chunks - and used the full amount of water, which was almost completely absorbed in the cooking. I skipped the final step of adding milk, but only because I forgot. DELICIOUS. Served it with flatbread and some crumbled feta the first night. Having it with wild rice today. Love it. Thank you!

With the amount of salt that the recipe calls for, I found the curry to be too bland, so I doubled the salt. I also doubled the amount of spices, cut the amount of water to 2 cups, and threw in some sliced chicken breasts while i was sauteeing the onion. Delicious!

I took the advice of some of the other reviewers and reduced the amount of water- 4 cups would indeed have been too much. However, I found that 2 cups was not quite enough- by the time the water was all absorbed, the lentils were still a bit tough, so I would recommend 2.5-3 cups. I imagine that 3 cups would give you a bit more of a soupy consistency (great over bowls of rice). I also took the advice to increase the amount of the spices, and I doubled everything except the cayenne (my husband is a bit sensitive to spicy dishes). However, I would have enjoyed even more flavor, so I would consider adding a bit more of the other spices, too. We added a squeeze of lemon just before eating, which was tasty. I have also heard that adding salt to uncooked lentils can make them tough, so I waited until closer to the end of their cook time to add salt.

This was good. It wasn't amazing, but it was good.

I took the advice of others to decrease the amount of water and added carrots and potatoes. Lastly I garnished with cilantro and added the crumbled feta cheese recommended. The dish turned out wonderfully! My husband who was a bit leary of it at first, thought it was delicious and even my 2 year old goobled it up! This recipe will definately be one that I make again!