Dreamy Daal Bowl Recipe

This dreamy daal bowl is warm, creamy, a bit spicy, and totally satisfying. You get melty black daal, quick-pickled veg, golden paneer, and crunchy poppadoms all layered up. Great for nights when you want real comfort but don’t wanna spend ages cooking.

Ingredients Needed

For the Filling:

• 1 carrot
• ½ small red onion
• ½ fresh red chilli
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• Olive oil
• 60g paneer cheese
• 1 x 250g pouch black daal
• 160g baby spinach

For Assembling:

• 2 uncooked poppadoms
• 2 tbsp mango chutney
• Sea salt & black pepper

How To Make Dreamy Daal Bowl

1. Cook the Veggies: Peel the carrot and slice into ribbons with a speed peeler. Thin slice the onion and chilli. Chuck it all in a bowl with vinegar, salt, pepper. Scrunch with your hands. Let it sit while you do the rest — flavour gets better as it waits.
2. Add the Main Ingredient: Grate paneer right into a hot pan with oil. Let it sit without stirring, 90 seconds-ish, till golden underneath. Then gently stir. Keep cooking till it’s crispy and sorta lacy — don’t overmix. Remove when golden all over.
3. Assemble the Dish: Microwave the daal pouch. In the same pan, toss in the spinach till just wilted with a pinch of salt. Takes under a minute.
4. Grill to Perfection: No grill. But microwave your dry poppadoms — 30 seconds, they puff right up. Sounds weird, works brilliantly.
5. Serve Hot: Divide the daal, spinach, crispy paneer, and pickled veg between bowls. Top each with a poppadom and a spoon of mango chutney. That’s it.

Why I Love This Recipe

Had this on a grey Tuesday when I wanted something spicy, hot, but not heavy. The paneer went crispy like a cheese frico, the pickled veg woke up the whole bowl, and I honestly didn’t miss meat at all. It’s warm, tangy, sweet, and crunchy — all in one bite.

Recipe Tips

• Don’t stir the paneer too soon — let it crisp first
• Use gloves or wash hands well after handling chilli
• Spinach wilts fast — don’t overcook it
• Mango chutney adds sweetness — don’t skip it
• Poppadoms puff up super quick — watch ’em
• You can swap daal with lentil curry if needed
• Grate the paneer straight into the pan for easy spread

How To Store Dreamy Daal Bowl

• At Room Temperature: Eat within 1 hour.
• In the Fridge: Store veg, paneer, and daal separately. Up to 2 days. Reheat paneer in a pan.
• In the Freezer: Freeze only the daal. Rest won’t freeze well.
• Reheating: Microwave daal and spinach. Paneer best crisped in pan or air fryer.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

• Calories: ~480 kcal
• Carbs: 38g
• Protein: 19g
• Fat: 28g
• Sugar: 10g
• Fibre: 6g
• Sodium: ~600mg

Let’s Answer a Few Questions! (FAQs)

• Q: Can I make this vegan?
  A: Yep — skip paneer and use crispy tofu. Choose a vegan-friendly daal pouch and chutney.
• Q: What if I don’t have poppadoms?
  A: Try naan chips, tortilla strips, or skip — still tasty.
• Q: Is it spicy?
  A: The chilli adds mild heat. Leave it out if you want a gentler version.
• Q: Can I make it without a microwave?
  A: Yes — warm daal and poppadoms in a pan or low oven instead.