• TrishaCP on July 01, 2013

  Between my work schedule and commuting, I am always looking for ways to cut down on dinner prep time, including by using the slow cooker. But most slow cooker recipes that I had seen before are very meat-intensive- this book provides several intriguing Indian recipes that fit the bill, primarily Vegetarian recipes. The recipes that I have tried so far have been delicious, healthy, and economical- they rely heavily on dried beans and lentils. Many of them require additional side dishes of vegetables or breads to make them a complete meal. One note to mention if you are cooking for one or two. The recipes are scalable (and most are designed to feed a crowd)- but to successfully scale down the lentil and bean recipes, you need to use a smaller (3 quart) slow cooker- otherwise the lentils and beans don't cook properly. I usually cook for two, and personally only own a standard-sized slow cooker, so my work around has been to freeze leftovers.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Black lentils (Maa di dal, kaali dal, sabut uruad, whole black gram, maa, whole matpe beans)

  • TrishaCP on July 01, 2013

    This is a basic slow cooker recipe that can be turned into Dal Makhani by adding cream and butter at the end- although I found it wasn't necessary because the lentils really break down. I would cook this again for a dinner party when I want to serve multiple Indian dishes, because you can just put this on and forget about it until you are ready to serve.

  • PennyG on January 31, 2016

    I was trying to replicate the Dal Makhani I had often in India recently. The flavor of this was spot on - however, it was way, way too thin. I would try this again using only half or so of the water called for to cook this in the slow cooker. The cream is definitely necessary to get the flavor and body of the dish I had in India.

  • Ganga108 on March 10, 2022

    This is a great dish for the slow cooker - set and forget. Ma di Dal is one of the vast family of Dal Makhani style dishes, but not the "true" one which also has channa dal and rajma/kidney beans. Still, it is incredibly delicious, warming and nourishing. Although whole unhulled urad is traditional, it can also be made with split urad. The flavour is not as deep and earthy but it is wonderful. It is lighter in colour because of the split lentils and the added cream. It can be called Maash Ki Dal. Use the same recipe, replacing whole urad with hulled, split urad.

• Black lentils with kidney beans (Sabut kaali dal aur rajmah)

  • Ganga108 on May 13, 2023

    How good is it to be able to throw some things into a slow cooker and then forget about it until meal time! I had some rajmah out to be used, and remembered this book. The recipe makes a large amount, so I have halved it for our needs. It will also freeze very well. All boxes ticked.

  • Fatrooster on June 24, 2025

    Really easy and delicious,I added cream and butter

• Black lentils with kidney beans and chickpeas (Teen taal dal, three note dal)

  • TrishaCP on July 01, 2013

    This is a good one for using up those smaller amounts of leftover dried beans and lentils you may have on hand, which are otherwise hard to purpose. This comes out like an Indian-spiced all bean chili- I served it with the hoppers from the Essential New York Times Cookbook. You can add the heavy cream and yogurt at the end as the recipe calls for, but I didn't think the heavy cream was needed (so didn't use it), and I liked the yogurt better dolloped on top.

  • Ganga108 on March 10, 2022

    Teen dal is a gorgeous Sindhi dish that can be made with various combinations of 3 different dals - mung and channa dals are also commonly used with urad dal. This one is deeper in flavour and a wonderful, Wintery dish. The urad gives it that beautiful creamy texture, but how luxurious it feels to add butter and cream!

• Simplest of simple yellow lentils (Dhuli moong dal)

  • Ganga108 on March 10, 2022

    A lovely dish and a great way to get the evening meal going in the morning. Mung dal is such a sweet, gentle dal, and will always lift the spirits. When I have time, perhaps while the rice is cooking, I like to cook most slow-cooker dals on the stove top for the last 15 minutes before serving - the higher heat allows the dals to melt a little more into the dish.

• Simple spinach and lentil soup (Palak aur dhuli moong dal)

  • Christinalego on May 07, 2020

    Boring. Like dishwater.

  • Ganga108 on March 10, 2022

    Another recipe that showcases the gentle, slightly sweet nature of mung dal. Delicious.

• Green spinach lentils (Palak aur sabut moong dal)

  • Ganga108 on January 10, 2022

    2020: This is a great "Kitchen Bench" recipe - a base into which you can add whatever needs to be used in the kitchen. I added sweetcorn, fennel greens and the last of a sticky, sweet, chilli jam. Delicious! I have also made the same recipe using mung dal in place of the green lentils.

  • Ganga108 on January 11, 2022

    2021: I made this again but cooked on the stove top, and using greens from the garden. Super!

• South Indian lentils with curry leaves (Parippu curry)

  • aileent1 on March 10, 2013

    I had a bunch of fresh curry leaves on hand so decided to make this. It's one of the best dal recipes I've tried, and I've made many. It's heavy on cumin, so if you don't like cumin you won't like this. I used light coconut milk and didn't miss the extra fat.

• Punjabi curried kidney beans (Rajmah)

  • bernalgirl on July 26, 2012

    Easy and so tasty. Definitely a keeper.

  • sayeater on September 23, 2021

    This was a really good rajma! I've been underwhelmed by other versions I've tried. Made with Rancho Gordo Good Mother Stallard beans. Needed more cook time than called for. I had made in InstantPot using slow cooker function, but added a few minutes of pressure at end so we could eat dinner on time.. Also let it cook down on saute function with lid off for about 10 min. Will definitely make this recipe again.

• Black chickpea curry (Kaala chana)

  • sayeater on October 03, 2022

    Trying to use up pantry items and black chickpeas were on the hit list. I've been intimidated by them knowing they are firmer and don't break down/get soft like their pale counterparts. This recipe was approachable and didn't require much effort on my part. Loved the use of a blender for the curry components, so easy! Because my beans had been in my pantry for a bit, I gave them a 13 min pressure cooker headstart in the Instant Pot before following the next step of adding curry ingredients and setting on slow cook. Glad I did because they still took a long time to cook. I also finished off with 30 minutes uncovered on the saute function to reduce the liquid and get a nice consistency. Immediately had 2 bowls with basmati and raw veggie garnish, it was THAT tasty! Although black chickpeas aren't a top favorite bean, I would not hesitate to make this recipe again.

  • Ganga108 on October 07, 2023

    I was looking for a curry to use up the last of the small, dark unskinned dried broad beans (fava beans). It struck me that recipes for kala chana might work. An easy recipe - I will put it on the simmer function for the final 30 mins or so, as I suspect they won't cook through, but how easy it is to have them cooking mostly to completion. No fuss dinner.

• Spiced cauliflower and potatoes (Aloo gobi)

  • veganellen on July 29, 2012

    This is wonderful. I followed the recipe as is and served this most delicious vegan curry over brown basmati rice. Yum!

  • dc151 on February 01, 2022

    Not my favorite version of aloo gobi, however there is a lot to be said for being able to prepare this in advance. It needed a bit more time than stated for the potatoes to cook through. Nice flavor and simple to prepare. Would make again. Served with brown rice and garlic naan.

  • Ganga108 on May 16, 2023

    Such an easy and efficient way to cook this dish. Although I don't rate it as high as some other Aloo Gobhi recipes, it is still a great non-fuss way to make this dish. It was cooked really well - I added a sprinkling of water at the beginning to avoid the initial stirring to avoid sticking.

• Spicy Punjabi eggplant with potatoes (Aloo baingan)

  • aileent1 on March 03, 2013

    Wonderful recipe, I've made it a few times. I cut down on the chilis, it's VERY spicy if made as written.

• Fenugreek-laced carrots (Methi gajar)

  • celia_dg4r0v on April 08, 2026

    Really easy and so good, freezes well too.

• Mustard greens with spinach (Sarson ka saag)

  • Ganga108 on November 21, 2024

    A nice easy way to make sarson ka saag - set and forget. I used mustard greens, fenugreek leaves and spinach-like greens. I added a turnip (grated) and a chopped tomato plus a tadka of ghee, cumin seeds, asafoetida (from my favourite sarson ka saag recipe). Grated carrots can be added too, or daikon instead of turnip.

• Traditional chicken curry

  • radishseed on February 01, 2016

    Subbed potatoes and tofu for the chicken. Added potatoes at the beginning of cooking time. Dry-fried tofu on two sides and then added to slow cooker in the last hour.

  • Delys77 on February 25, 2016

    Overall I thought this was quite good, but I do think the cooking time is a touch too long. I went for about 7 hours and that was plenty. The result is chicken that is falling off the bone with a very nice sauce redolent with the spices and with a bit of a bite, but not too much.

• Minced lamb with peas (Keema)

  • christinezac on November 11, 2021

    Very easy and delicious! Made with ground beef instead of lamb

• Dorie Greenspan by Dorie Greenspan

  In 50 well-crafted and imaginative recipes, Anupy shows you how to use the modern slow cooker to get the beautiful, complex flavors of her ancient native cuisine. A book that will surprise you.

  Full review