Best Masoor Dal Recipes

MASOOR DAL (SPICED RED LENTILS)

Steps:

• In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, heat oil, and sauté onion until softened. Add sweet potato, and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add minced ginger and garlic; stir, and reduce heat to low.
• Finely dice chili, keeping seeds if you wish to add more heat. Add chili, lentils, coriander, cumin, turmeric and ground ginger to pan. Stir until lentils are well coated with oil. Add tomatoes and 4 cups water. Raise heat to bring to a boil, then reduce heat until mixture is at a fast simmer. Cook uncovered until lentils and potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt, and continue to simmer until mixture has thickened, about 10 minutes. Whisk dal to amalgamate lentils and sweet potatoes. If dal is too soupy, increase heat and cook for a little longer.
• To serve, place dal in a serving bowl and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. If desired, shave thin strips of fresh coconut on top. Serve hot.

RED SPLIT LENTILS (MASOOR DAL)

Steps:

• Rinse rice in several changes of water and transfer to a container. Cover with water and let soak at room temperature, 15 minutes to 1 hour. Drain.
• Combine 3 cups water with red lentils in a large pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, skimming any scum that collects on the surface. Stir in onion, cumin, coriander, salt, black pepper, cayenne, and turmeric. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.
• Stir broccoli, tomatoes, peas, and salt into the pot. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes more.
• Combine drained rice with remaining 1 1/2 cup water in another pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to very low and simmer, covered with a tight-fitting lid, until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
• Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, ginger, and garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour over lentils; stir to distribute. Cook lentils until flavors combine, about 5 minutes. Serve lentils with rice.

RED SPLIT LENTILS WITH CABBAGE (MASOOR DAL AUR BAND GOBI)

Steps:

• Pick over, wash, and drain the lentils.
• In a heavy-bottomed pot, bring the lentils and water to a boil, skimming off any scum that rises to the top. Stir in the turmeric. Cover pot, with lid slightly ajar, and simmer over low heat for 1 1/4 hours, stirring occasionally.
• While the lentils are cooking, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and cook for 3 to 4 seconds, then add the garlic. Once the garlic pieces start to brown, add the onion, cabbage and green chilies. Cook the cabbage mixture, stirring often, until it starts to brown. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt. Turn off the heat.
• After the lentils have cooked for 1 1/4 hours, add and stir in the tomato, the ginger, and 1 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Add the cabbage mixture. Stir to mix and allow to simmer uncovered for a few minutes to reheat the cabbage.

SPICE KISSED MASOOR DAL (SPLIT RED LENTILS)

Steps:

• In a medium sized pot over medium flame, add 1 tbsp peanut oil, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp ginger powder, and 1 tsp garam masala powder. Stir spices and oil together, allow to fry slightly (when you smell the spices releasing their fragrance you're done).
• Add the dal and water to cover (by an inch or so), turn the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Skim off foam that forms on top and discard. Cover and turn the heat to low. Allow to simmer until dal begins to fall apart and is cooked through. While cooking, monitor the water level. If it is too low, the dal will burn to the bottom of the pan, so add more water. If the water level is too high, uncover the pan so some will evaporate. When done, the dal should be a porridge consistency--not watery, but not burning to the bottom of the pot.
• Heat frozen green peas (I usually defrost in the microwave with a few tablespoons of water), drain excess water, and add to cooked dal.
• Taste dal and adjust salt. Since you have not salted the pan yet, you may need to add a few teaspoons to tablespoons of salt. Add slowly--you can always add more but it is hard to get rid of too much.
• Make the tadka: In a frying pan over medium heat add the butter, 1 tsp tumeric powder, 2 tsp garam masala powder, and 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes. Fry lightly until spices release their fragrance. Add the onion and fry for another few minutes to the softness you desire. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for another 2 minutes. Add tadka mixture to dal mixture and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
• Serve Spice Kissed Masoor Dal over rice with yogurt, raita, red raw onions, cucumber, lettuce, tomatoes or other fresh vegetables of your liking.
• To read about dal, visit the wikipedia page at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dal.
• To read about tadka, visit the wikipedia page at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaunk.

MASOOR DAL (RED LENTILS)

Steps:

• wash dal in a few changes of water, until the water runs clear.
• soak in cold water for about half hour
• drain.
• place in pot with water, salt, red chilli powder and cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until dal is very tender.
• when dal is tender it should resemble a creamy soup (you might have to add more water if the its not creamy and cook for furtur 10 to 20 minutes).
• For the temper - heat oil in a frying pan add the garlic and fry until light brown , at this point add cumin and fry for few seconds and pour over the lentil and stir and cook for few minutes.
• cover and take off heat.
• serve hot.
• garnish with coriander and green chillies.
• Sprinkle a little garam masala on top.
• serve with boiled rice or chapatis.

GREEN LENTIL DAL (HARA MASOOR KI DAL)

Steps:

• Put the lentils in a bowl and add cold water to cover. Let stand two hours.
• Heat three tablespoons of the oil in a saucepan or kettle and add the onions. Cook briefly, stirring, until the onions are wilted and add the cloves and cinnamon. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are browned. Do not burn.
• Drain the lentils and add them, stirring. Add the broth, salt, ground pepper, cayenne, lemon juice, water and lemon rind. Bring to the boil and partly cover. Cook 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
• Heat the remaining two tablespoons of oil in a small skillet and add the caraway seeds. Cook about two minutes or until the seeds start to brown and give off a pleasant caraway smell. Pour this over the lentils and stir.

MASOOR DAL

Steps:

• Put oil in a skillet over medium high heat; when it is hot, add onion and cook until soft, about 10 minutes; set aside.
• Meanwhile, combine all remaining ingredients except the salt, butter and cilantro in a saucepan. Add water to cover by about 1 inch, and bring to a boil. Adjust heat so mixture bubbles gently, and cook, stirring occasionally and adding water if necessary, until lentils are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and more pepper and keep cooking to desired tenderness. Lentils should be saucy but not soupy.
• Remove cloves from pan and add reserved sautéed onion. Stir in butter if you are using it. Taste and adjust seasoning, then garnish with cilantro and serve.

MASOOR DAL WITH YOGURT

Steps:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, tomatoes and a big pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion and tomato soften and the excess liquid evaporates, 7 to 9 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and curry powder and cook, stirring, until softened, 3 minutes.
• Add the lentils and stir to coat with the tomato mixture. Add 3 1/2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the lentils are tender and have lost their shape, 12 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; if the mixture gets too thick, add 1/4 cup of water at a time to loosen.
• Divide the lentils among bowls. Top with the yogurt, cilantro and chiles. Serve with the naan.

RAGHAVAN'S PALAK MASOOR DAL (RED LENTILS WITH SPINACH)

Steps:

• Rinse lentils in a 3- to 4-quart pot with water, rubbing lentils between the fingertips of one hand, then drain. Repeat 3 or 4 times or until the water runs clear.
• Place drained lentils in the pot and add 2 cups water, tomatoes, ginger, chiles, and turmeric. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, skimming and discarding foam. When tomato skin is loosened and wrinkled, after about 5 minutes of cooking, transfer tomatoes to a plate to cool.
• Reduce heat to medium and simmer lentils, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until very tender and almost mushy, about 15 minutes. (The lentil color will change from salmon to pale yellow as they cook.) Keep warm over low heat.
• Meanwhile, peel and core cooled tomatoes; discard skins. Transfer tomatoes to a blender, along with the ginger and chiles from the pot and the cilantro. Pureé, scraping down the sides as needed, until you have a thick, green-flecked tomato sauce.
• Heat ghee in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add cumin seeds and let sizzle until they turn reddish brown and smell nutty, about 10 seconds. Immediately add spinach in handfuls, stirring to wilt.
• Stir spinach mixture, tomato sauce, and salt into warm lentils. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, to let the flavors mingle, about 5 minutes.

MASOOR DAL

Steps:

• Boil water.
• Add lentils. When it comes back to a boil, cook for five minutes uncovered, then turn the heat down and cover, cook for 15 minutes.
• Add salt, ginger, chile, coriander, cumin and tumeric. Cook for ten more minutes until lentils are very soft.
• Turn heat down to low.
• In a small pan, heat oil until very hot. Add mustard seeds. When they have finished popping, add chili pieces and then asafoetida. Pour hot oil into lentil pot and cover quickly.
• Turn off heat and let sit for five minutes. Add lemon or lime juice, adjust seasonings. Serve with cilantro.

SPICED UP RED LENTILS(MASOOR DAL)

Steps:

• Mix the spices in a small bowl and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat until it shimmers. Add the spices and saute until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Stir in onion and cook till softened, 5-7 minutes. Stir in garlic and ginger and cook till fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Now stir in the water and lentils. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the lentils are tender and resemble a coarse puree, 20-25 minutes. (At this point, you may refrigerate the lentils in an airtight container up to 2 days. Reheat over medium low heat before continuing).
• Stir in tomatoes, cilantro, and butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving. Enjoy!
• Variation:.
• Substitute 1 cup coconut milk for 1 cup of the water and omit butter. Using coconut milk makes for a lush, creamy texture and rich flavor. Don't use light coconut milk. You can freeze any leftover coconut milk.

TASTY MASOOR DAL RECIPE

Steps:

• Firstly take one bowl of red lentil and wash it properly. When dal gets washed nicely then add water and soak the dal in water for two hours.
• After two hours, dal will get well soaked. Remove the water from it.
• Now take a cooker and add dal in it, then add chopped ginger, chopped green chilli, one black cardamom, one bay leaf, ona cinnamon stick, three to four cloves. (This is our trick that we will add whole spices while boiling the dal)
• Then add one spoon of desi ghee as it will stop water that comes along with whistle.
• Now add water, we will add three bowls of water and salt as per taste. Mix all of them well. (Add water three times of dal, as we have taken one bowl of dal so we have added three bowls of water)
• Close the cooker and keep it on gas and let three whistles come. After three whistles, turn off the gas and let the pressure out itself.
• When the pressure is out completely then open the cooker and you will see dal is well cooked and aroma of whole spices will come.
• Now keep a wok on gas and pour one spoon of desi ghee and let it heat. When ghee gets heated then add one spoon of cumin seeds, one pinch of asafoetida.
• When they both gets roasted then add chopped tomatoes and roast them. Then add spices, so add one spoon of turmeric powder, one spoon of coriander powder, one spoon of Kashmiri red chilli powder, half spoon of garam masala.
• Mix all of them well and cook them till tomatoes gets soft nicely. When tomatoes gets soft then make the flame low and then add boiled dal in it.
• After adding dal make the flame medium and mix the dal nicely with masala and let it boil. Cook it by covering for two minutes so that all the things can get mix with each other nicely.
• After two minutes, mix it once and dal is ready so turn off the gas. Add coriander leaves and then serve it.

ISMAIL MERCHANT'S LEMON LENTILS (NIMBU MASOOR DAL)

Steps:

• Heat 6 tablespoons oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium-low heat. Add sliced onion and cook, stirring, until tender. Add cinnamon sticks, dal, and ginger. Cook, stirring often, 10 minutes. Add stock, 2 cups water, red chili, and salt to taste. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Squeeze juice from lemon. straining seeds, and add lemon juice and lemon to lentils. Cook 50 minutes, stirring often. Add up to one cup more water, if dal dries out too much. Heat remaining 1/4 cup oil in small pan. Add chopped onion, garlic, chile and bay leaves. Cook, stirring, until onion is browned. Add mixture to lentils and stir. Remove bay leaves. Turn into serving bowl and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve hot.

INSTANT POT MASOOR DAL WITH SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Turn a 6-quart Instant Pot® to the normal saute setting (see Cook's Note) and add 4 tablespoons of the butter. When melted, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the ginger, coriander, turmeric, cumin, cayenne and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the garlic and ginger are softened and the spices are fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, mushrooms, tomato paste and 4 1/2 cups water until well combined. Bring the liquid to a boil, turn off the pot and cover with the lid. Let the mushrooms sit in the liquid until softened, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in the lentils, chile, 1 tablespoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Follow the manufacturer's guide for locking the lid and preparing to cook. Set to pressure cook on high for 2 minutes.
• After the pressure-cook cycle is complete, follow the manufacturer's guide for quick release and wait until the quick-release cycle is complete. Being careful of any remaining steam, unlock and remove the lid. Remove the chile and stir in the lime juice and remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Thin to desired consistency by adding up to 1/2 cup water. Spoon into bowls and sprinkle with the coconut, cashews and a squeeze of lime before serving.

MASOOR DAL

Steps:

• Bring dal to boil in a large stock pot with 4 cups water and bring to a boil.
• When it comes to a boil, there will be a gray surface scum.
• Skim this away and then add the ginger and turmeric.
• Turn the heat low and simmer partially covered for 1 hour.
• When done, a thick puree settles on the bottom.
• Make sure you stir the dal several times in the last 15 minutes.
• Heat the oil in a small skillet and when it smokes add the pinch of asafetida.
• One second later, add the cumin and peppers.
• Cook until the peppers until both sides turn dark (a few seconds).
• Pour the oil spice mixture into the dal with the salt and stir for 1 minute.

MASOOR DAL (SLOW COOKER)

Steps:

• Put all of the ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook for 6-8 hours on low. Stir in salt. Add a "vaghaar" on the top: heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil on a pan until it shimmers, add a teaspoon of whole cumin seeds, 1/2 teaspoon brown mustard seed, a few slices of red or green chilies and toast until lightly fragrant (about 10 seconds). Pour the flavored oil and spices over the dal and serve!

MASOOR DAL

Steps:

• In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, heat oil, and sauté onion until softened. Add sweet potato, and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add minced ginger and garlic; stir, and reduce heat to low.
• Finely dice chili, keeping seeds if you wish to add more heat. Add chili, lentils, coriander, cumin, turmeric and ground ginger to pan. Stir until lentils are well coated with oil. Add tomatoes and 4 cups water. Raise heat to bring to a boil, then reduce heat until mixture is at a fast simmer. Cook uncovered until lentils and potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt, and continue to simmer until mixture has thickened, about 10 minutes. Whisk dal to amalgamate lentils and sweet potatoes. If dal is too soupy, increase heat and cook for a little longer.
• To serve, place dal in a serving bowl and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. If desired, shave thin strips of fresh coconut on top. Serve hot.