When I started the blog, I had vowed to never put up a masoor ki dal recipe. It was one of the first things I learned to cook when I moved to the US. I ate it to death when I was a broke graduate student and later, a struggling entry-level aid worker in Washington D.C. It was a staple so mundane, so easy to make, that I felt it never warranted a separate blog post. Three years later, here I am, sharing a masoor ki dal recipe.
For the last several months, my younger sister has been asking why I don’t have a simple daal recipe on the blog. I actually do: kalee dal and a masoor moong dal. Both are fantastic. But my sister strongly subscribes to the cult of the masoor ki daal and is afraid to cook so wanted the simplest recipe possible.
This past month, I have been cooking up a storm from Sameen Rushdie’s Indian Cookery. Under the lentils section, she shares the ‘ghontna’ process where you stir the daal briskly with a wooden spoon to bring it to the correct consistency. I realize that this is by no means revolutionary. I probably should have known about this years ago but this has been life-changing. It finally allowed me to give my daal a rich, creamy texture, so much so that I think it now warrants its own post.
The recipe below is a very basic recipe for the masoor ki daal that was prepared at my home. You can dress up the recipe as much as you want. In Sameen’s book, she adds whole green chillies, chopped tomatoes and fresh coriander leaves. You can also add various types of greens (for instance, spinach) and tamarind to add sourness. The tadka/bhagar (tempering) that she recommends for this daal comprises fresh kadi pata (curry leaves), dried chilies and white cumin seeds. I have only used a very basic tadka of chopped yellow onions that was more common in my household. Both are wonderful. While the tempering is optional, I highly recommend it.
Happy birthday Jehan, and happy cooking x
Masoor Ki Daal (Red Lentils)
Ingredients
- 1 cup red split masoor lentils
- 2 cups water + more as needed
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes or red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 small onion finely sliced in half moons for the tadka or tempering (optional)
- 4 tablespoon canola, sunflower or vegetable oil (optional)
Instructions
- Wash lentils till the water runs clear
- Add the lentils, spices and water to a medium-sized stockpot, and bring to a quick boil
- Bring the heat down and let the daal simmer
- When the lentils have absorbed the water (after about 10 minutes), stir the daal with a wooden spoon, pushing it down to achieve desired consistency
- Add 1-2 cups of hot water (depending on how thin or thick you want your daal to be), stir to mix and let it simmer for another 5 – 10 minutes (again, depending on the consistency you want)
- To prepare the tadka, in a frying pan heat 4 tablespoon of oil. Add chopped onion and fry on medium heat till it’s golden brown
- Place daal in serving bowl and pour over the tadka with the oil
Salman Mir says
Dear Friend, Awsome !!
I am very much interested in this field of reastaurant industry, i must comment on behalf of http://delhinihari.com/ located in ajman-UAE. some of the restaurant I recommend by place of heart. you are the one among them and another was the link i mentioned above. My family is good food eater and enjoyed delicious food very much. I always recommend good food and places to people.
Sincerly by Salman Mirza recommendations to Pakistan Eats.com & for UAE : http://delhinihari.com/
Sheetal says
Your recipe looks so wonderful, and I can't wait to make it. I do have a minor suggestion though. Your PDF for print option really should include some or all of your beautiful pictures in it 🙂
Maryam Jillani says
You are so kind Sheetal, thank you!
Chili to Choc says
Masoor ki daal and chawal is ultimate comfort food for me. And your daal looks so delicious.
Jehan says
Forever grateful to Maryam for putting this recipe on PakistanEats–it's saved me so many times. (FYI the tadka is game changer.)
Amir says
Thank you Maryam for a great basic recipe! I was able to make an excellent dal upon my first try, the consistency was also very good and creamy, thanks to your tip 'Under the lentils section, she shares the ‘ghontna’ process where you stir the daal briskly with a wooden spoon to bring it to the correct consistency.'
all the best to you
pakistaneats says
This makes me so happy to hear! Thanks so much for leaving a review, really appreciate it!
BT says
This was delicious! will be keeping this around to make again!
hassan says
Noce and easy . thanks
A broke grad student says
I have never been able to make daal right, even when I follow my mom's or grandmother's recipe (something always goes wrong, sometimes it's the texture, sometimes it's the flavor) but when I used this recipe, my daal finally came out great! I think the magic of this recipe is its simplicity, AND the tadka is absolutely a game-changer. Thank you so much.
Ayesha says
This is the best recipe I've ever tried!!
I always try many recipes because I’m Japanese and my husband is Pakistani.
He ate everything so fast.
I’ll try to cook another again. Thank you so much !!!
Hassan says
Daal main bi racism haha