Home
Premium
Red lentil dal (Masoor dal)

A serving of red lentil dal (Masoor dal)

Red lentil dal (Masoor dal)

Name: Red lentil dal (Masoor dal)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 200g red lentils (masoor dal), washed and soaked in hot water for 1 hr; ½ tsp ground turmeric; 4 tbsp sunflower oil; 1½ tsp cumin seeds; 1 onion diced; 25g ginger peeled and finely chopped; ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder or ¼ tsp hot chilli powder; ¾ tsp garam masala; 25g unsalted butter; 1 tbsp chopped coriander

Samuel Goldsmith

Save recipe

Serves 4

Easy

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 40 mins

plus 1 hr soaking

A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.4 ratingsRate

loading...

Make this easy dal with quick-cook red lentils – it's seasoned with cumin seeds, ginger and warming garam masala. Enjoy with Indian flatbreads

Egg-free

Gluten-free

Low sugar

Vegetarian

Skip to ingredients

Alternatives

Complete the dish

Showing items 1 to 3 of 3

Chapatis

A star rating of 4.8 out of 5.80 ratings

Naan bread

A star rating of 4.8 out of 5.404 ratings

Paratha (Indian flatbreads)

A star rating of 3.3 out of 5.4 ratings

Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

200g red lentils

(masoor dal), washed and soaked in hot water for 1 hr
½ tsp ground turmeric
4 tbsp sunflower oil
1½ tsp cumin seeds
1 onion

diced
25g ginger

peeled and finely chopped
½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder

or ¼ tsp hot chilli powder
¾ tsp garam masala
25g unsalted butter
1 tbsp chopped coriander

Keep the screen awake with cook mode on the Good Food app.

Nutrition: Per serving

kcal342
fat17g
saturates5g
carbs31g
sugars4g
fibre5g
protein13g
salt0.1g

Method

step 1

Drain the dal from its soaking water and tip into a flameproof casserole dish. Cover with cold water by a depth of 4cm, then add the turmeric. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Partially cover the casserole and continue cooking the lentils for about 30 mins, or until they have completely broken down and are soft and soupy in consistency – you may need to add more water as it cooks.
step 2

Heat the oil in a small frying pan over a medium-high heat and sizzle the cumin seeds for about 30 seconds until aromatic.
step 3

Stir in the onion and ginger, season with salt and fry until the onion has browned. Add the chilli powder and garam masala and, after a few seconds, tip everything into the hot dal. Stir in the butter, season with salt and finish with coriander. Serve with boiled rice or Indian flatbreads.

Recipe tips

Coconut dal Cook the lentils for an extra 10 mins until they have thickened to the consistency of creamy mash. Add a 400ml can full-fat coconut milk, reheat, then leave, covered, on one side. Heat 4 tbsp sunflower oil in a small frying pan over a medium-high heat and sizzle 1 tsp mustard seeds for about 30 seconds until the popping stops. Stir in the cumin seeds followed by the remaining ingredients listed above, and continue with the method for red lentil dal.

Spinach dal Heat a sturdy, dry pan over a high heat and add the spinach. Cook, stirring, until the leaves start to wilt – this should take 1 min. (You may need to do this in batches.) Scoop the leaves into a colander set over a bowl, and leave to cool. Squeeze any excess liquid from the leaves using your hands, then roughly chop the leaves. Reheat the dal, adding more salt if needed, and stir in the chopped spinach before serving.

Comments, questions and tips

Rate this recipe

What is your star rating out of 5?1 star out of 52 stars out of 53 stars out of 54 stars out of 55 stars out of 5

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

CommentQuestionTip

Overall rating

A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.4 ratings

Get 3 months of Good Food All Access

Get 3 months of Good Food All Access for just £6. Find triple-tested recipes that take the stress out of deciding what to cook, spend less time planning, and more time enjoying the season.

Subscribe now