Home Style Masoor Dal is a dish I turn to when my fridge is practically empty, but I still feel like making something good for dinner. All it asks for is some pink lentils, a liberal amount of garlic and a spoonful of mustard oil in the mix. The first time I made it, the garlic and oil smell had practically all the people in the house gathered around the kitchen before the dal was even ready. Thin, garlicky and a little sharp, this masoor dal is one of my family’s favorites.
Recipe Snapshot:
- Home Style Masoor Dal is a delicious Indian dal recipe.
- It has an earthy, slightly garlicky and spicy
- I serve it usually with plain rice, jeera rice along with papad on the side or roti.
- I take only half an hour to make this dish at home.
- There are many alternative recipes to Home Style Masoor Dal, such as toor, moong, etc. Each one of these has unique flavors and taste.
The Ingredients:
- Pink Lentil: 200 gms (cleaned properly)
- 1 small sized onion (sliced)
- 8-9 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 tomato (chopped)
- Bay leaves: 2 pieces
- Green chilies: 4 pieces
- Turmeric powder: 1/2 Tsp
- Coriander leaves 1 Tbsp
- Mustard oil 3 Tbsp
- Salt to taste
- Water as much as required (hot)
How to Cook Home Style Masoor Dal (Step by Step Images)?
1. Light the chulha or gas stove and place the Kadai on it.
2. Pour 1 tablespoon of mustard oil into a hot kadai.
3. Add the lentils to the smoking oil and stir for 5 minutes.
(Pro tip: Let the mustard oil smoke first, or the dal tastes raw and bitter.)
4. Add 2 cups of hot water to the lentils.
5. Once the water comes to a boil, ladle out the white foam collecting along the sides of the pan.
(Pro tip: Skim the foam patiently. Leftover foam makes the dal taste soapy and can upset the stomach.)
6. Add more water and cover the pan with a lid.
7. Remove the lid after 5 minutes.
8. Add chopped tomatoes and ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder.
9. Smash the boiled lentils with a smasher. It won’t take much time or effort.
10. Add more water to the boiled lentils as required.
11. Add sliced onion, chopped garlic, chilies, bay leaves, and 2 tbsp of mustard oil.
(Pro tip: I always add the raw mustard oil at this stage. It is what gives the dal its real aroma.)
12. Add salt to taste and let it boil.
13. After desired texture is achieved, sprinkle the coriander leaves.
14. Home Style Masoor Dal is ready.
Customize Your Recipe
- I threw in some small cubes of potato once into the dal. It turned heartier.
- When it tastes a bit flat, I usually squeeze a dash of lemon. It revives the taste.
- For some guests who do not like the pungent taste of mustard oil, I typically use ghee to make the dish. Nobody complains.
Home Style Masoor Dal Recipe Solutions Guide
Q: My dal is still very runny after step 12. What should I do?
A: Boil it a little longer without any cover. My first lot was soupy because I kept on fiddling about, and eventually gave up and just left it to get properly thickened.
Q: My lentils cannot be mashed properly. What went wrong?
A: They are probably undercooked. Put it back on the stove, cover the dal with the lid and give the lentils another five minutes to cook properly.
Q: The dal has thickened as I overlooked. Can I do anything to it?
A: Just pop in some hot water and give it a good stir before adding the coriander leaves in Step 13. It thickens rapidly, so I always keep hot water ready.
Recipe Card
Home Style Masoor Dal
Ingredients
- Pink Lentil: 200 gms cleaned properly
- 1 small sized onion sliced
- 8-9 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 1 tomato chopped
- Bay leaves: 2 pieces
- Green chilies: 4 pieces
- Turmeric powder: 1/2 Tsp
- Coriander leaves 1 Tbsp
- Mustard oil 3 Tbsp
- Salt to taste
- Water as much as required hot
Instructions
- Light the chulha or gas stove and place the Kadai on it.
- Pour 1 tablespoon of mustard oil into a hot kadai.
- Add the lentils to the smoking oil and stir for 5 minutes. (Pro tip: Let the mustard oil smoke first, or the dal tastes raw and bitter.)
- Add 2 cups of hot water to the lentils.
- Once the water comes to a boil, ladle out the white foam collecting along the sides of the pan. (Pro tip: Skim the foam patiently. Leftover foam makes the dal taste soapy and can upset the stomach.)
- Add more water and cover the pan with a lid.
- Remove the lid after 5 minutes.
- Add chopped tomatoes and ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder.
- Smash the boiled lentils with a smasher. It won’t take much time or effort.
- Add more water to the boiled lentils as required.
- Add sliced onion, chopped garlic, chilies, bay leaves, and 2 tbsp of mustard oil. (Pro tip: I always add the raw mustard oil at this stage. It is what gives the dal its real aroma.)
- Add salt to taste and let it boil.
- After desired texture is achieved, sprinkle the coriander leaves.
- Home Style Masoor Dal is ready.
