Masoor Dal Tadka Recipe, Tadka Dal with Masoor Dal

Masoor dal tadka recipe – a simple dal tadka recipe using red lentils or masoor dal. This dal tadka recipe needs no pressure cooker so it’s perfect for bachelors or those of you who don’t use or have a pressure cooker handy. Masoor dal cooks easily and I usually pre-soak the lentils, making it cook even faster.

Although it started well into my 20s, dal and rice is comfort food for sure. In Kerala cooking, masoor dals rarely feature and we usually stick to moong dal and toor dal to make the usual kootu and sambar. Masoor dal has a distinct reddish-pink colour that turns yellow on cooking, and a flavour that goes so well with a strong tadka or tempering.

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While dal is most efficiently cooked to a mush in a pressure cooker, you don’t have to have one, especially if you want to make dal tadka with easier-to-cook lentils. I pre-soak all dal before cooking because not only does it help to cook the dal quicker, it also helps break down complex sugars and carbs in the dal. Apparently, watering plants with the water used to soak the dal works well but I haven’t tried this yet. My balcony garden is going through a rough patch currently, need to re-pot and re-sow everything.

More dal recipes on Edible Garden:
Tomato capsicum dal
Beetroot leaves dal
Bok choy dal
Jeera dal
Sweet and sour moong dal
Methi dal

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Masoor Dal Tadka Recipe

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5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Dal

Cuisine Indian

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup masoor dal red lentils
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp sugar or jaggery optional
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice

For tempering

• 2 tsp ghee or oil
• 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 cup onion finely chopped
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• 3-4 dry red chillies
• A few curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp hing or asafoetida
• 1/2 cup chopped ripe tomato

Instructions

 

• Wash and soak the dal for 1-2 hours. One hour should be sufficient, but leave it a bit longer if you have time
• In a heavy-bottomed pan, add enough water to cover the dal by two inches and bring to boil
• Add turmeric powder and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the lentils are cooked soft
• Cook covered on very low heat to speed up the process
• Once the dal is cooked, mash it with the back of a spoon and add more water to bring to the right consistency
• In the meantime, prepare the rest of the ingredients, chop the onion, garlic, and tomatoes

For tempering

• Heat the ghee and add mustard seeds and cumin
• When the mustard seeds pop and the cumin seeds sizzle, add the onions
• Fry until the onions turn soft and then add garlic and red chillies
• When the garlic turns a light brown and the onions start to brown, add curry leaves and hing
• Fry for another minute or so or until the onions turn a golden brown
• Now add the tomatoes, salt, and sugar (if using)
• Cook until the tomatoes turn soft (around 4-5 minutes) and add to the cooked dal
• Mix well and add lime juice. Test for salt levels and add more as needed
• Serve hot with rice and any curry

Step by Step Masoor Dal Tadka Recipe

Wash and soak the dal for 1-2 hours. One hour should be sufficient, but soak it a bit longer if you have time

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In a heavy-bottomed pan, add enough water to cover the dal by two inches along with turmeric powder and bring to boil

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Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the lentils are cooked soft

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Cook covered on very low heat to speed up the process

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Once the dal is cooked, mash it with the back of a spoon and add more water to bring to the right consistency

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In the meantime, prepare the rest of the ingredients, chop the onion, garlic, and tomatoes

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For tempering, start with heating the ghee

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and add mustard seeds and cumin

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When the mustard seeds pop and the cumin seeds sizzle, add the onions, red chillies, and garlic (remove stems from the red chillies, don’t be like me)

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When the garlic turns a light brown and the onions start to brown, add curry leaves and hing

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Fry for another minute or so or until the onions turn a golden brown

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Now add the tomatoes, salt, and sugar (if using)

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Cook until the tomatoes turn soft (around 4-5 minutes)

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Add tempering to the cooked dal

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Mix well and add lime juice. Test for salt levels and add more as needed

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Serve hot with rice and any curry

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Notes:

• You can use a mix of different dal to make this dish. For speedier cooking, pressure cook the dal for 15 minutes or 3-4 whistles before tempering
• If you want a spicier dal, use red chilli powder or green chillies when cooking the dal or tempering
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves if you have some handy

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For masoor dal tadka recipe in Hindi, Marathi, Urdu, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, etc use the Google translate button in the sidebar