A recipe for a simple whole masoor dal made with whole masoor lentils or brown lentils in a spiced and flavorful tomato onion sauce. Serve the dal with rice or roti for a tasty, hearty and healthy Indian meal.
Table of Contents
An everyday dal with whole masoor lentils
A simple dal, like this whole masoor dal flavored with a spicy masala blend, anchors most everyday Indian meals. It provides valuable protein and other essential nutrients to a mostly vegetarian palate. That's why you can find so many dal recipes across India's many regional cuisines, like Bengali cholar dal, Punjabi dhaba dal, Tamilian sambar and Maharashtrian dalitoy.
This recipe is as easy as they come, but here are a few key tips for success:
- Cook the lentils until very tender. Masoor dal cooks up very soft and its creaminess is one of the reasons it makes a great dal. You can precook the dal in a pressure cooker, in an Instant Pot or on the stovetop. See the FAQs for more on this.
- Whisk the dal a bit before adding it to the other ingredients in the pot. This makes the dal thicker and creamier.
- You can make your dal soupy or thick, but the perfect consistency for this dal is somewhere in between. Most Indian dals are soupy, not gloppy and thick - you need the fluidity to mix the dal with rice.
- Like most dals, this one will thicken upon cooling. When you reheat dal leftovers add some water to return it to the desired consistency, and add more salt if needed.
Recipe card
Whole Masoor Dal
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole masoor dal (brown lentils)
- 2 teaspoon coconut oil (divided)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 large onion (finely chopped, divided)
- 4 cloves garlic (peeled and left whole)
- 2 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 teaspoon poppy seeds
- 1 dry red chili pepper (optional, you can skip if sensitive to heat and if the garam masala you use has red chili peppers added to it)
- 2 medium tomatoes (chopped)
- 2 tablespoon cilantro (plus more for garnish)
- 2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoon paprika (optional, for color)
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoon garam masala
- Salt to taste
- Wedges of lemon (for serving)
Instructions
- Cook the whole masoor on the stovetop or in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot until tender.
- Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and, when they darken, add half the onions and the cloves of garlic and saute until they turn golden-brown. Add the coriander seeds, poppy seeds, sesame seeds and the dry red chili pepper, if using. Saute until these ingredients are lightly colored and very fragrant. Then remove them to a bowl and set aside to cool.
- Once the ingredients have cooled, add them to a blender along with the tomatoes. Blend into a very smooth paste. Add a bit of water if needed to keep the blades moving, although it should not be necessary.
- Heat the remaining oil in the same saucepan and add the remaining onions and cilantro. Add a pinch of salt and saute the onions until they are golden-brown. Stir in the ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute.
- Add the blended masala and the cooked masoor to the pot along with a cup of the lentil cooking stock, if any, turmeric, paprika, if using, and the sugar. Mix well and let the lentils cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until you see pools of darker liquid float to the top, which tells you everything is cooked as it should be. You can add more liquid to the pot at any time for a runnier dal.
- Sprinkle on the garam masala, stir well, and add more salt as needed. Turn off the heat and garnish with cilantro. Serve with wedges of lemon to squeeze on the dal and rice.
Notes
- Refrigerate: Store leftover masoor dal in the fridge for up to three days.
- Freeze: Freeze in an airtight container up to three months.
- Reheat: Heat frozen dal in a saucepan or in the microwave. If heating the dal in a saucepan add a little bit of water to the saucepan to buffer the frozen dal as it thaws. Stir frequently and let it boil, then turn off heat. If you add more water to the dal check if more salt is needed.
Nutrition Information
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Whole masoor dal FAQs
Unlike beans, lentils don't have to be soaked before you cook them. That said, soaking can cutting down on cooking time. So do it if you have the time--three to four hours is great.
You can, and you'd get a very tasty result if you made this daal with another split lentil like toor dal or chana dal. However, using a different dal will change the flavor and texture significantly.
Pressure cooker: Wash the lentils and cook with three cups water for each cup of lentils, or enough water to cover the lentils by two inches. In a pressure cooker that "whistles," cook the lentils for three whistles. In those that just reach pressure and release steam at a steady rate, give about six minutes after the cooker reaches pressure, or follow manufacturer instructions. Let the steam release naturally.
Instant Pot: Cover the unsoaked lentils by an inch of water and set to high pressure for 10 minutes. Wait for the pressure to release naturally or force-release after 10 minutes.
Stovetop: Place the washed lentils in a saucepan, cover with two inches of water, and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and let the lentils simmer 20-30 minutes or until very tender.
With basmati rice or brown rice. You can also serve it with jeera rice or carrot rice. Or serve the dal with a fluffy vegan naan.
Serve sabzi or cooked Indian vegetable side with the dal and rice, like jeera aloo or aloo gobi.
Purva says
My favorite dal recipe of all time. Even the children love it and family and friends are always requesting it. Thanks Vaishali.
Vaishali says
So happy to hear, Purva!
Nancy says
Thank you for this delicious and satisfying dal recipe. I bought whole masoor dal in the store last week with no idea how it differed from the other lentils. I just knew that I wanted to find out, as I love all lentils. I really enjoyed this dal, and I will make whole masoor dal frequently. I felt very good after I ate it. I felt like it helped balance my blood sugar, and gave me calm energy. Love it. ❤️❤️❤️
Shellie says
This sounds delicious. I have whole moong, but no masoor. Can I use that in place or should I use brown lentils?
Vaishali says
Hi Shellie, brown lentils would be perfect!
Linda says
After reading 'Interpreter of Maladies' by Jhumpa Lahiri, I decided to learn how to cook Indian food. This is the first Indian recepy for me. In my supermarket I could not find the same lentils so I used 'mountain lentils' that have a light brown color. I think therefore the dish is lighter of colour, but the taste is really, really good! I only have a hand mixer, so some of the seeds were still whole and not 'mashed' so I have to chew a bit more then I thought I would but I am so proud of the result. I can't believe I managed to make a tasty Dahl! 😀
A question I have is about the rice. What rice would you advice that has loads of fibre but is still tasty?
Thank you so much!
Vaishali says
Hi Linda, so happy you made the dal! I do love the Interpreter of Maladies-- Lahiri's best work, I think. Brown basmati rice would have both fiber and would be tasty. 🙂
Mara says
I just tried this recipe. I felt it was a little dry when I compare it to the picture on your website. The recipe requested 1 cup whole brown lentils. Is that dry or cooked? I used 1 cup dry lentils. Perhaps that is why it is a little dry. Please let me know
Vaishali says
Hi Mara, I've clarified this--it is 1 cup dry which you will cook first, per the instructions, and add a cup of the cooking stock to the pot with the other ingredients when you add the lentils. If it's still too dry for your liking you can add more water or stock and thin it out to your taste (step 5).
Tracey🏴🇬🇧 Morgan says
What happens to the non-garnish cilantro? I’m guessing, from its place in the ingredient list, that I should’ve blended it with the tomato mixture….
Vaishali Honawar says
It goes with the onions in step 4!