Masoor Dal Recipe | Easy & Spiced Indian Red Lentils Recipe
Masoor Dal, a seasoned lentil preparation, offers a delightful accompaniment to rice. This recipe features red lentils, where husked and split pink lentils are simmered with onions, tomatoes, and an array of aromatic and flavorful spices, resulting in a rich and savory dish.
Ingredients
For Stovetop Pressure Cooking
- ½ cup masoor dal or red lentils (husked and split)
- 1.5 to 1.75 cups water for pressure cooking dal
For Making Masoor Dal
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ⅓ cup chopped onions or 1 medium-sized
- 2 to 3 garlic cloves (small to medium-sized), crushed or finely chopped
- 1 inch ginger finely chopped or 1 teaspoon
- 1 to 2 green chillies chopped or slit or ½ to 1 teaspoon
- 1 to 2 dry red chilies – broken and seeds removed, optional
- ½ cup chopped tomatoes or 1 medium-sized
- ¼ or ½ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
- 1 generous pinch asafoetida (hing)
- ¼ or ½ teaspoon Garam Masala (homemade garam masala powder can be just ¼ teaspoon)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
- 1 to 1.5 cups water or add as required
- salt as required
- 1 teaspoon dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) – crushed, optional
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
- ½ or 1 teaspoon lemon juice or as required
- 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves for garnish, optional
Instructions
Cooking Lentils
- Pick and rinse the red lentils (masoor dal) a few times in water.
- Drain the water and add the lentils to a 3-litre stovetop pressure cooker. Also add 1.5 to 1.75 cups water to the lentils in the cooker.
- Pressure cook for 5 to 6 whistles on medium heat until the lentils become soft and mushy.
- Let the pressure drop naturally in the cooker, and then only open the lid.
- When the lentils are softened and cooked well, mash lightly with a wooden spoon or whisk lightly with a wired whisk.
- Keep the cooked red lentils aside. If lentils are undercooked, then add some more water and pressure cook for a few minutes more.
Making Onion-Tomato Masala
- In another pan or pot, heat oil. Keep the heat to a low. Add cumin seeds and fry the cumin seeds till they crackle.
- Then add onions and sauté stirring often till they are light golden on low to medium-low heat.
- Add chopped ginger and garlic. Stir and fry for 10 to 15 seconds or till the raw aroma of ginger and garlic goes away.
- Add green chilies and red chilies. Stir to mix.
- Add all the ground spices – turmeric powder, red chilli powder or cayenne pepper, garam masala powder one by one including asafoetida (hing) and stir to mix on a low heat.
- Add the finely chopped tomatoes and sauté on medium-low heat till the oil separates and the tomatoes become mushy and soft.
Making Masoor Dal
- Add the cooked and lightly mashed red lentils. Pour 1 to 1.5 cups water depending on the consistency you prefer. So you can adjust the quantity of water as required and add bit by bit as you go on mixing.
- Add salt as required and stir again. Simmer for 6 to 7 minutes more on a low to medium heat till you get the desired consistency in the dal.
- Masoor dal is neither thick nor thin and has a medium consistency.
- Add crushed dry fenugreek leaves and simmer for 1 minute.
- Lastly add lemon juice and 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) and stir to mix. Switch off the heat.
- You can also garnish the Masoor Dal with coriander leaves while serving. Serve the Red Lentils hot with steamed basmati rice or roti or chapati.
Nutrition
Calories: 162kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 6gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gSodium: 342mgPotassium: 309mgFiber: 8gSugar: 2gCalcium: 32mgIron: 2mg
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