Whole Masoor Dal - Brown Lentils
North indian style whole masoor dal or brown lentils curry recipe made with onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and spices. Vegan & Gluten free
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot
Ingredients
For Cooking Brown Lentils
- 1 cup (~220g) whole masoor dal
- 3 cup water for pressure cooking
- 1 large garlic clove finely chopped
- ¼ inch ginger finely chopped
- 1 medium bay leaf
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 black cardamom gives a distinct flavor to dal, skip if you wish
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For Onion Tomato Masala
- 6 tablespoon mustard oil use ghee or cooking oil of choice instead
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes or use 2 dried Kashmiri chilies, adjust to taste
- 1 cup (~130g) onions chopped
- 3 large garlic finely chopped
- ¼ inch ginger finely chopped
- 1 large (~100g) tomato chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste or 2 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- ¾ teaspoon red chilli powder I use degi mirch, or cayenne, adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon amchoor dry mango powder, adjust quantity to how sour you like
- 2 tablespoon cilantro leaves garnish
Optional Ingredients
- 1-2 tablespoon butter
- 2-3 tablespoon heavy cream
Instructions
Soak The Lentils
- These days, the lentils come quite clean, but still place them in a wide plate and scan through to sure make sure that they are clean. Remove any small stones etc. Wash lentils 2-3 times under running water. Then add to a pressure cooker and cover with water. Let soak for at least 1-2 hours. Soaked lentils cook evenly and are easier to digest.Tip :- If you are cooking lentils on stove top, soak for 6-8 hours.
Boil The Lentils
- Once lentils are soaked, without draining the water, add whole spice (bay leaf, black cardamom (if using)), turmeric powder, chopped ginger & garlic and ¼ teaspoon salt. Add another ⅓ cup of water. Set on a low medium flame and let cook on high pressure for 15 minutes or so (6-7 whistles).
- We dont want the lentils to get mushy. The grain should be intact but the lentils should be soft. When you press a cooked grain between your thumb and index finger, it should not need a lot of pressure to press.
- Check the lentils for softness and if done, immediately add 4-5 ice cubes to the pressure cooker. This will stop them for cooking further. Tip - Use experience with your lentil variety to adjust the cooking time. Different brands of lentils vary in quality and may cook faster or take longer to get soft.
Make Onion Tomato Masala (While The Dal is Cooking)
- Transfer the cooked dal in a bowl to a bowl and you may use the pressure cooker itself to make the onion tomato masala (it becomes a one-pot meal then :))I usually start cook the masala In a large kadai or cooking pot while the lentils boil. Add the mustard oil. Heat till slightly smoky.
- Temper the oil with teaspoon of cumin seeds and chili flakes (or dried red chilies). Add the chopped onions next. Caramelize the onions for the next 7-10 minutes. Tip :- Golden brown onions contribute to the final taste of the lentils immensely so please dont rush the browning process.
- Add the chopped ginger and garlic next and stir with onions for 10-15 seconds. Take care not to burn.
- Next add the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste (or puree, if using), salt, red chili powder and black pepper powder. At this point, you may also add some green chillies if you wish.
- Cook for 3-5 minutes until the tomatoes begin to soften. Press lightly using the back of cooking spoon. We don't want to dry out the tomatoes but make sure that are soft before adding the lentils.
- Add the cooked dal to the masala. Mix and then add a water depending on the consistency you prefer. I keep them thickish and add just ¼ to ⅓ cup hot water.
- Let simmer on low flame for 12-14 minutes. Finish the lentils with amchoor (or lime juice), garam masala and chopped coriander leaves.Optionally you may add butter and heavy cream for a creamier dal.
Notes
- Use any variety of dal- If you cannot find whole masoor dal, use any variety of black lentils like beluga lentils or even whole green moong lentils can be used.
- Quality of Lentils Use recently purchased lentils. Lentils lying around for more than 3 months in your pantry dry out and get lacking in taste.
- Soak the Lentils- It makes a lot of difference in texture and taste of the dal.
- Add More Flavorings- You may add ½ teaspoon kasuri methi at the end for a punjabi flavor to this dal.
- Make It Tangy- Mix in a dollop of whisked whole milk plain yogurt at the very end. Dont cook after adding yogurt. Yogurt adds a a nice rich tanginess to the dal. You may skip amchoor(dry mango powder) if you wish in that case.
- Make It Rich & Creamy - You many add 2 tablespoon butter & 1-2 tablespoon heavy cream at the end for a creamier dal.
- Browning the onions - This whole masoor dal recipe wont come out good if you reduce the onion quantity or dont brown the onions. Properly brown the onions without letting then turn black (else the dal will become bitter)
- Make it Spicy- Add chopped indian green chilies while making the onion tomato masala if you want a spicy dal. I usually keep it mellow because my kids dont like it spicy. Also, in my opinion, too much heat takes overpowers the taste of lentils itself.
- You may use ginger garlic paste instead of chopped ginger & garlic. Store bough ginger garlic paste available in grocery stores if fine to use as well.
- I dont recommend adding a ton of spices while making the dal. You want to let the taste of lentils shine.
- Always use hot water to adjust the consistency of the dal while its cooking.
- Storage- This sabut masoor ki dal is a great for meal prep. It keep good taste for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
- Serve whole masoor dal with steamed basmati rice, brown rice, jeera rice or indian bread.
Nutrition
Calories: 291kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 11gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gSodium: 526mgPotassium: 496mgFiber: 13gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 247IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 47mgIron: 4mg
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