Masoor Dal | Red Lentil Recipe
Masoor Dal is a simple yet healthy and delicious recipe prepared with split red lentils. This earthy and lightly spiced dal is perfect for healthy weekday meal. Pair it with steamed rice or stack of chapatis.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup masoor or red lentils
- 1 nos onion small
- 1 nos tomato
- 1-2 nos green chillies
- 3-4 nos garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- salt as per taste
- fresh coriander for garnish
- water for cooking
Instructions
- Wash and soak lentils in water for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Once lentils are soaked enough, take a pan over high heat.
- Pour oil into the pan.
- Once oil is hot, add cumin seeds into it. Let it splutter for few seconds.
- Tip in finely chopped onion, garlic and green chillies into the hot pan.
- Turn heat to medium and mix everything until onions are softened.
- Add spices ie, turmeric, coriander and kashmiri red chilli powders along with salt into the hot pan.
- Gently mix everything until raw smell of spices goes off. (If required, add some water to deglaze the pan.)
- Meanwhile, garlic and chillies will be cooked perfectly over medium heat.
- Next add diced tomatoes into the pan. Stir fry tomatoes for few seconds and then add water.
- Cover the pan and allow it to cook over medium heat until tomatoes are softened.
- Once tomatoes are soft and mushy; add soaked red lentils into the pan.
- Combine everything together and add more water.
- Finally, add garam masala, cover the pan and continue to cook over high-medium heat.
- Lentils will turn soft and cook thoroughly in another 10-15 minutes.
- Simmer it over medium heat for another 5 minutes. Adjust the consistency as desired; I prefer thick dal, so cooked it until thick and dense.
- Taste the dal and adjust the salt if required.
- Turn off the heat and garnish with freshly chopped coriander.
- Our warm and hearty Masoor Dal is ready to serve.
Notes
- Masoor or red lentils doesn't require overnight soaking. Soak the dal for about 1 hour and cook along with other ingredients.
- Test the taste and adjust the salt, as per my experience this dal requires little extra salt to enhance the flavours.