Masoor Dal is a creamy spiced lentil dish that’s scrumptious to take pleasure in over rice. This standard Indian recipe options beautiful pink lentils cooked with onions, tomatoes, and plenty of wealthy and savory spices. Comply with my easy steps to make a wholesome, tasty Masoor Dal recipe for a satisfying and wholesome meal.

About Masoor Dal
Masoor Dal is Hindi for ‘orange lentils’, ‘pink lentils’ or ‘pink lentils’. Mainly these are the identical lentils with completely different names. However notice that these should not the identical as Puy lentils, that are a inexperienced French lentil.

The Masoor Dal lentils will be break up or entire, and each sorts are utilized in Indian delicacies. The break up and husked pink lentils are referred to as Dhuli Masoor Dal in Hindi.
Break up and husked lentils have an orange-pink colour. Nevertheless, the entire Masoor Dal with the husks have a darkish brown colour.
Whereas splendidly distinctive, each of those lentils are equally scrumptious and simple to make with no matter pantry staples you have got. Preserve studying for step-by-step images and directions for making this tasty Indian Pink Lentils.
This Masoor Dal recipe is a creamy spiced preparation made with the husked and break up pink lentils (also called pink lentils).
The recipe may be very straightforward to make and is prepared in about half-hour. It’s good for a hearty and wholesome weeknight dinner or to take pleasure in throughout a calming weekend.
I’ve cooked these pink lentils in a stress cooker to save lots of time. You possibly can even prepare dinner them in a pan on the stovetop or in an Immediate Pot.
The Pink Lentils recipe is well adjustable and scaleable. You would any time tone down on the utilization of assorted spices and seasonings.
Step-by-Step Information
How you can make Masoor Dal
Preparation
1. To begin, rinse ½ cup of masoor dal (break up and husked pink lentils) beneath cool working water for a minute or so. Drain the water.
Then add the rinsed pink lentils to a 3-litre stovetop stress cooker together with 1 ½ to 1 ¾ cups of water.
You possibly can decide to prepare dinner the lentils within the Immediate Pot, including water as wanted. These lentils additionally prepare dinner simply in a pot or pan on the stovetop. Add about 1.5 to 2 cups water or extra when cooking in a pan.

2. Stress prepare dinner the pink lentils on a medium to medium-high warmth for five to six whistles, or till they develop into gentle and mushy.
Let the stress drop naturally within the cooker, then solely open the lid. Verify the cooked pink lentils.
The lentils need to be tender and softened fully. Mash flippantly with a picket spoon or a whisk flippantly with a wired whisk. Put aside.

Make Onion Tomato Masala
3. In one other giant skillet or pot, warmth 2 tablespoons of your most well-liked cooking oil on medium warmth.
Add 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds and fry till they crackle and alter colour.

4. Subsequent add ⅓ cup chopped onions. Stir and sauté the onions on low to medium-low warmth.

5. Proceed to sauté and stir for some minutes till they’re mild golden. Don’t burn otherwise you’ll wind up with an disagreeable bitter style.

6. Then add 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger and a pair of or 3 peeled and crushed garlic cloves (small to medium-sized).
Stir and sauté them for 10 to fifteen seconds, or till the uncooked aroma of each ginger and garlic goes away.

7. Add 1 inexperienced chili (chopped or slit) and 1 or 2 entire dry pink chilies (damaged and seeds eliminated), non-obligatory. Stir and blend properly.

8. Subsequent add the next floor spices:
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (floor turmeric)
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon pink chili powder or cayenne pepper
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 1 beneficiant pinch of asafoetida (hing)
Skip including asafoetida should you do not need it.

9. Stir and blend properly. Subsequent add ½ cup finely chopped tomatoes.

10. Stir the tomatoes and blend them properly with the onions and spices. Sauté the tomatoes on medium-low warmth till the oil separates and the tomatoes develop into gentle.

Make Masoor Dal
11. Now add the cooked and flippantly mashed lentils to the skillet.

12. Combine completely.

13. Pour in 1 to 1 ½ cups water, relying on how agency, thick or skinny you want your masoor dal.
Begin with simply 1 cup and stir, after which add extra water little by little as wanted. Style and season with salt.

14. Simmer the dal for six to 7 minutes extra on a low or medium warmth. The dal will get thicker because it cooks, so simmer simply till you get the specified consistency.

15. I favor my dal as proven, with a medium consistency that isn’t too thick or skinny.

16. I additionally like so as to add 1 teaspoon of crushed dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) for a barely nutty and earthy chunk. Be at liberty to depart out should you favor.

17. Simmer for 1 extra minute to mix the flavour of the leaves.

18. As soon as the dal has reached desired consistency, stir in 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and 1 to 2 tablespoons of chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves. Give one other stir and switch off the warmth.

19. It’s also possible to garnish with coriander leaves should you favor whereas serving the dal.

What does the phrase Dal imply?
There are a whole lot of lentils utilized in Indian delicacies in quite a lot of methods. They’re a superb supply of protein, fiber, and lots of nutritional vitamins and minerals for vegan dishes. Due to this fact they’re usually handled because the star essential dish of a meal.
Dal is the generic time period used for all lentils in India. Additionally the soup or stew like preparation made with any lentil is named as dal.
So there are a lot of many variations of dal with completely different lentils getting used. Every area of India has their very own variations.
Many occasions I combine or mix completely different lentils to make Dal Tadka or mix it with spinach to make Dal Palak. One other well-known dish made with 5 lentils is Panchmel Dal.
FAQs
Serve Masoor dal with some steamed basmati rice, pickle and papad and you’ve got a comforting Indian meal.
Even a aspect of Onion Raita or Cucumber Raita or a Vegetable Salad or Kachumber Salad will be accompanied with the masoor dal.
It’s additionally good for having fun with with Indian flat breads like Chapati for scooping.
The consistency and the flavour of Pink lentils change over a time period. I’d counsel to eat them as quickly as you put together the dish. Attempt to devour the lentils on the identical day.
I’d not advocate to freeze masoor dal. Lentils are greatest eaten after they freshly cooked. Freezing cooked lentils or storing them within the fridge for a number of days isn’t thought of a wholesome observe in keeping with Ayurveda.
Sure. As-is this recipe is sufficient for 4 servings, however will be halved for two or doubled to make a big batch.
Extra Lentil Recipes To Attempt!
Dal (Lentils) & Legumes
Dal (Lentils) & Legumes
Dal (Lentils) & Legumes
Dal (Lentils) & Legumes
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Masoor Dal Recipe (Indian Pink Lentils Recipe)
Masoor Dal is a spiced lentil dish that is scrumptious to take pleasure in over rice. This Pink Lentils recipe is made with husked and break up pink lentils or pink lentils cooked with onions, tomatoes and plenty of wealthy and savory spices.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Prepare dinner Time 15 minutes
Whole Time 30 minutes
For stovetop stress cooking
For making masoor dal
Cooking Lentils
Decide and rinse the pink lentils (masoor dal) a number of occasions in water.
Drain the water and add the lentils to a 3-litre stovetop stress cooker. Additionally add 1.5 to 1.75 cups water to the lentils within the cooker.
Stress prepare dinner for five to six whistles on medium warmth till the lentils develop into gentle and mushy.
Let the stress drop naturally within the cooker, after which solely open the lid.
When the lentils are softened and cooked properly, mash flippantly with a picket spoon or whisk flippantly with a wired whisk.
Preserve the cooked pink lentils apart. If lentils are undercooked, then add some extra water and stress prepare dinner for a couple of minutes extra.
Making onion-tomato masala
In one other pan or pot, warmth oil. Preserve the warmth to a low. Add cumin seeds and fry the cumin seeds until they crackle.
Then add onions and sauté stirring usually until they’re mild golden on low to medium-low warmth.
Add chopped ginger and garlic. Stir and fry for 10 to fifteen seconds or until the uncooked aroma of ginger and garlic goes away.
Add inexperienced chilies and pink chilies. Stir to combine.
Add all the bottom spices – turmeric powder, pink chilli powder or cayenne pepper, garam masala powder one after the other together with asafoetida (hing) and stir to combine on a low warmth.
Add the finely chopped tomatoes and sauté on medium-low warmth until the oil separates and the tomatoes develop into mushy and gentle.
Making Masoor Dal
Add the cooked and flippantly mashed pink lentils. Pour 1 to 1.5 cups water relying on the consistency you like. So you possibly can modify the amount of water as required and add little by little as you go on mixing.
Add salt as required and stir once more. Simmer for six to 7 minutes extra on a low to medium warmth until you get the specified consistency within the dal.
Masoor dal is neither thick nor skinny 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 combine. Change off the warmth.
It’s also possible to garnish the Masoor Dal with coriander leaves whereas serving. Serve the Pink Lentils scorching with steamed basmati rice or roti or chapati.
- The pink lentils can be cooked in a pot or pan. Simply soak the dal for 30 to 40 minutes, in order that they prepare dinner sooner if cooking in a pot. Modify the amount of water as required.
- Add much less or extra of the spices and seasonings in masoor dal in keeping with your style preferences.
- If in case you have the Immediate Pot, then prepare dinner the pink lentils in it including water as wanted.
Diet Info
Masoor Dal Recipe (Indian Pink Lentils Recipe)
Quantity Per Serving
Energy 162 Energy from Fats 72
% Every day Worth*
Fats 8g12%
Saturated Fats 1g6%
Polyunsaturated Fats 0.4g
Monounsaturated Fats 6g
Sodium 342mg15%
Potassium 309mg9%
Carbohydrates 18g6%
Fiber 8g33%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 6g12%
Vitamin A 228IU5%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 0.2mg13%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 0.1mg6%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 1mg5%
Vitamin B6 0.2mg10%
Vitamin C 7mg8%
Vitamin E 3mg20%
Vitamin Ok 4µg4%
Calcium 32mg3%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 114µg29%
Iron 2mg11%
Magnesium 36mg9%
Phosphorus 116mg12%
Zinc 1mg7%
* % Every day Values are primarily based on a 2000 calorie eating regimen.
This Masoor Dal Recipe from the archives first printed in July 2013 has been republished and up to date on November 2022.
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