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Masoor Dal Tadka | Red Lentil Curry

Masoor Dal is an everyday kind of dal preparation made with red lentils tempered with garlic, dry red chillies and cumin, and some aromatic herbs and spices.
This is one of the most popular dal that is often paried with paratha or jeera rice.
This is a vegan, diabetic-friendly, beginner-friendly, gluten-free recipe.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Pressure Cooking Dal (Lentil) 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Easy Dinner Recipes, Easy Lunch Recipes, Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients Method Video Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup Masoor Dal / Red Lentils
  • 1 Onion, finely chopped
  • 1 Tomato, finely chopped
  • 2 Green Chillies, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon Ginger-Garlic Paste, roughly crushed
  • 2 teaspoons Coriander Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tablespoons Coriander Leaves, to garnish
  • 2 tablespoons Oil
For Tadka (Tempering)
  • 4 Garlic Cloves, roughly crushed
  • 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
  • 2 Dry Red Chillies
  • 1 tablespoon Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
  • 2 tablespoons Oil

Method
 

  1. Wash 1 cup of masoor dal / red lentils with water a couple of times till the water runs relatively clear.
  2. Add 2 cups of water and pressure cook the dal for 5-6 whistles.
  3. Heat oil in a pan, add finely chopped onions and saute for 2-3 minutes.
  4. Add finely chopped green chillies and roughly crushed ginger-garlic paste.
  5. Cook onions till translucent.
  6. Add finely chopped tomatoes and cook till tomatoes soften.
  7. Add spices, coriander powder, garam masala powder, red chilli powder, and turmeric powder. Mix well.
  8. Add 1/2 cup of water to prevent spices from burning.
  9. Add the cooked dal and salt to taste.
  10. Mix dal with the onion tomato masala. Add water to adjust the consistency of the dal as per your preference.
  11. Simmer the dal and let it come to a boil.
For Tadka (Tempering)
  1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Add roughly crushed garlic, cumin seeds, dry red chillies and saute till garlic turns golden brown in colour.
  2. Add a teaspoon of Kashmiri red chilli powder. This chilli powder gives bright red colour to the tadka.
  3. Turn off the flame immediately and pour the tadka over the dal. Keep some tadka for later to garnish.
  4. Mix tadka with dal and adjust the consistency of the dal by adding water.
  5. Let the dal come to a boil.
  6. Lastly, add finely chopped coriander leaves.
  7. Delicious & flavourful masoor dal / red lentil curry tadka is ready. Serve with paratha, naan or rice.

Video

Notes

More Related Recipes
Sabut Masoor Dal (Whole Brown Lentil Curry)
Lobia Masala (Black Eyed Bean Curry)
Maharashtrian Chincha Gulachi Amti (Sweet & Sour Lentil Curry)
Matki Sabji (Dew Beans Curry)
Plant-Based & Vegan Recipes
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