Masoor Dal Recipe / Red Lentil Soup
Masoor Dal, also known as Red Lentil Soup, is a popular dish in Indian cuisine. It is made with red lentils that are cooked with spices and herbs, creating a thick and creamy soup. This dish is widely popular due to its simplicity and the fact that it is an easy and quick meal to prepare. It can be served with rice, bread, or roti, making it a versatile dish that can be enjoyed in a variety of ways.
Ingredients
For Cooking Dal
- 1 cup masoor dal or orange lentils or split yellow lentils
- 3 cups water
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp salt
For Tadka
- 2 tbsp ghee / clarified butter
- 2 onions
- 2 to Tomato
- 3 green chillies
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 tsp cumin / jeera
- ¼ tsp Red Chilli Powder
- ¼ coriander powder
- pinch Asafoetida / hing
- ¼ tsp garam masala
- 1.5 cup water
- ½ tsp aamchur / dry mango powder
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves / cilantro
Instructions
Preparation
- Wash thoroughly Dal with running water until it comes clean.
- Soak Lentils / dal for 30 minutes.
- Wash and finely chop onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, green chillies and coriander leaves.
Cooking
- If you want to cook Dal in a Pressure Cooker, then you don’t need to presoak it and with 3 to 3.5 cups of water, add turmeric powder and salt. Pressure cook the Lentils until they turn soft and mushy. Pressure cook for 4-5 whistles on medium flame.
- If you want to cook Dal in a Cook Pot, then presoak it for 30 minutes, so that Dal will turn soft quickly. Presoaking will save your cooking time. Then, with 3 cups of water start cooking Dal. Also add salt and turmeric powder into it. Cook till it turns soft and mushy.
- Keep the cooked Orange Lentils aside. If Lentils / Masoor Dal are not cooked, then add some more water and pressure cook for a few whistles more or cook in a Cook Pot for some more time.
- In a Kadai / Wok, heat oil. Add ginger and garlic and saute them till they turn golden brown.
- Then add onions and sate them till they turn light golden.
- Now, add tomatoes and green chillies.
- Add cumin and all dry spice powders except dry mango powder & garam masala.
- Saute everything till the tomatoes start releasing oil and everything cooked well.
- Add cooked Dal into it and mix well. Adjust the consistency of Dal as per your preference.
- Lastly, garnish Dal Tadka with fresh chopped coriander leaves.
- Tada! Your Masoor Dal / Dal Tadka is ready to serve.
- You can serve this Masoor Dal Recipe with roti / paratha or steamed / jeera rice.
Equipment Used for This Recipe
Notes & Tips
- Spiciness: To get the bright orangish-red color, it is best to use Kashmiri red chilli powder or deghi mirch.
- Clarified Butter: You can also use any neutral tasting oil, if you don’t want to use clarified butrer / ghee. However, tadka prepared in ghee makes this dal more tasteful.
- Tomatoes: You can use readymade tomato puree also in case you are out of tomatoes or not available at your place.
- Ginger Garlic Paste: You can use ginger garlic paste in case fresh ginger and garlic are not available at your place. However, I recommend to use fresh ginger and garlic for better taste and aroma.
- Ingredients & Equipments: Find these Ingredients & Equipments at Indian specialty food stores / Grocery Stores or Online Stores. For review of some stores, please refer to the Grocery Review Section on our Website.
Nutrition Information (Note: Approximate)
Nutrition Facts
Masoor Dal Recipe / Red Lentil Soup
Amount per Serving
Calories
185
% Daily Value*
Fat
6
g
9
%
Saturated Fat
3
g
19
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.4
g
Monounsaturated Fat
2
g
Cholesterol
13
mg
4
%
Sodium
1249
mg
54
%
Potassium
461
mg
13
%
Carbohydrates
26
g
9
%
Fiber
11
g
46
%
Sugar
4
g
4
%
Protein
9
g
18
%
Vitamin A
392
IU
8
%
Vitamin B1
0.3
mg
20
%
Vitamin B2
0.1
mg
6
%
Vitamin B3
1
mg
5
%
Vitamin B5
1
mg
10
%
Vitamin B6
0.3
mg
15
%
Vitamin C
13
mg
16
%
Vitamin E
0.4
mg
3
%
Vitamin K
5
µg
5
%
Calcium
39
mg
4
%
Iron
3
mg
17
%
Magnesium
48
mg
12
%
Zinc
2
mg
13
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.