Gordon Ramsay’s lentil curry simmers tuvar dal with whole cloves, cinnamon and peppercorns until the lentils collapse. A ghee-fried onion and tomato base folds through, then double cream and slit green chillies finish it. About 55 minutes, most of it hands-off.
It’s the Rajasthani red lentil curry from his Great Escape India book, and he credits his source in print. The dish “is based on the lentil curry dal baati, a popular Rajasthani dish.” He leaves out the baked baati buns to keep it simple, serving naan or chapatti instead.
The technique that separates it from most dals happens at minute one. The cloves, cinnamon and peppercorns go into the cold water WITH the lentils. For half an hour, the spices season the cooking liquid itself, so the flavour is built in, not laid on top.
Gordon Ramsay’s Lentil Curry
Course: DinnersCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Easy4
servings10
minutes45
minutes330
kcal55
minutesHis Great Escape India take on dal baati: tuvar dal simmered soft under cloves and cinnamon, a ghee and tomato base, and a cream finish, from the book’s vegetarian chapter.
Ingredients
225g (8 oz) split pigeon pea lentils (tuvar dal) or red split lentils, washed
2 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
4 black peppercorns
1 litre (4¼ cups) water
2.5cm (1 in) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
3 tbsp ghee or melted unsalted butter
2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
3 tomatoes, skinned and finely chopped
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp hot chilli powder, to taste
1 tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp sea salt, or to taste
2 tbsp double cream (US: heavy cream)
3 green chillies, slit in half lengthways
Directions
- Simmer the lentils with the spices: Place the lentils in a saucepan with the cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns and water. Bring to the boil and skim off any scum and froth that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat, partially cover the pan and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until the lentils are soft and have broken down.
- Blitz the paste: Put the ginger and garlic into a small food processor, add a tablespoon of water and blitz to a paste.
- Brown the onions: Heat the ghee or butter in a pan, add the onions and fry for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.
- Build the base: Add the ginger and garlic paste, tomatoes, garam masala, chilli powder and turmeric to the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Combine and thicken: Tip the cooked lentils into the pan, season well with salt and leave to simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until thick.
- Finish and serve: Stir through the cream and slit green chillies, then serve with warm naan or chapatti.
Notes
- Tuvar dal takes the 25 to 30 minutes as written, and red split lentils run slightly quicker, so watch the pot not the clock.
FAQs
Did Gordon Ramsay steal his dal recipe from an Indian village?
No, and the claim has no checkable source anywhere I could find. It circulates on social media without a single named person, place or broadcast behind it. The printed record shows the opposite: that dal baati credit sits in the intro above, in his own words, in his own book.
The whole Great Escape India series was openly about learning from local cooks on camera, the same journey behind his slow-braised goat curry. Learning a regional dish, crediting it in print, and publishing a simplified home version is how honest cookbooks have always worked.
Is this a dal or a lentil curry?
Both words fit, dal simply means split pulses and the dishes made from them. His version sits between a soupy dal and a thick curry. It simmers until the lentils break down, then reduces with the onion base until it holds on a spoon.
The buns he skips in the intro are worth knowing about too. The book describes them as baked rounds of wheat and gram flour worked with ghee, and in Rajasthan the dish barely exists without them. His version trades that project for a 55-minute one.
Why do the whole spices cook with the lentils?
That cold-water start from the intro is the opposite of his usual order. In his chicken korma recipe, the whole spices hit hot ghee first, which gives a louder, toastier flavour. Simmered instead, they give a depth you can’t quite place.
The practical part: whole spices survive 30 minutes of boiling where ground ones would turn bitter and muddy. Fish the cinnamon stick out before serving if you spot it, the cloves and peppercorns soften enough to disappear.
Can I use red lentils instead of tuvar dal?
Yes, the book names red split lentils as the direct alternative, and every UK supermarket carries them. Tuvar dal, sometimes spelled toor dal, lives in the world foods aisle at Tesco and Asda or any Asian grocer.
The difference is texture: tuvar holds a little more body, red splits collapse completely into a smoother finish. His book also allows urad dal, with 15 to 20 minutes added to the simmer.
Is this lentil curry vegetarian or vegan?
Vegetarian as written, it comes from the vegetarian chapter of the book. To make it vegan, swap the ghee for vegetable oil and skip the 2 tablespoons of cream. The lentils bring enough body that the sauce barely misses it.
The slit green chillies bring gentle warmth rather than fire, and they lift out easily for kids’ portions. For the same chapter’s heartier option, his chickpea curry recipe runs on the same onion-tomato base logic.
How long does lentil curry keep?
Three days in the fridge, and it genuinely improves overnight as the spices settle into the lentils. The one certainty is thickening: dal sets as it cools. Loosen every reheat with a good splash of water.
It also freezes better than almost any curry I make, 2 months with no texture loss. Lentils have no fibres to toughen, and the small amount of cream is already stirred through. My roundup of his curry recipes shows what to cook when it’s gone.
