Sabut Masoor Dal Recipe | Brown Lentils Recipe
This is a delicious and healthy brown lentils or Indian sabut masoor dal recipe. Done with a few ingredients, this is a delicious main and so tasty too.
Servings 4
Calories 240kcal
Equipment
- 1 Pressure cooker
- 1 Instant Pot optional
Ingredients
- 1 cup Brown Lentils or sabut masoor dal
- 1 Onion
- 2 Tomatoes
- 1.5 tsp. Ginger and garlic paste or minced
- 2 Green chillies optional
- ½ tsp. Cayenne optional
For tadka or tempering
- 1 tbsp. oil Use mustard, coconut or any vegetable oil
- 2 dry red chillies optional
- 1 tsp. garlic crushed only for tempering at the end
- ¼ tsp. heeng or asafoetida
- ½ tsp. Turmeric powder
- ¾ tsp. Ground coriander
- ¾ tsp. Garam masala
- ½ tsp. Paprika
- ½ tsp. Salt
Garnish
- 1 tbsp. cilantro chopped
Instructions
Instructions (Stovetop Pressure Cooker):
- Wash 1 cup brown lentils and soak for an hour in 3 cups water.
- I most often than not, just cook it without soaking.
- Wash sabut masoor dal with water and add to the manual pressure cooker with 3 cups water.
- Add 1 chopped onion, 2 chopped medium tomatoes, 1 tsp. Ginger garlic paste or minced and 2 green chillies (optional) slit.
- Add turmeric powder and close the lid.
- Cook for about 5-6 whistles and allow the pressure to release naturally.
- Your dal must be mushy and well cooked. If not, you can cook for some more time.
- If you soak the lentils, you can reduce the cooking time and will need only about 3-4 whistles.
- Using the back of your ladle, lightly crush the lentils.
- Add about 1-2 cups of water depending upon how thin or thick you like your dal and bring to a boil.
- Add salt to taste. Add ground coriander, garam masala and cayenne (optional).
- Temper this dal by heating about 1 tbsp. of oil in a small pan. Add 1 tsp. cumin seeds and ¼ tsp. heeng and allow cumin to sputter.
- Add in 2 dry red chillies and 1 tsp. crushed garlic.
- Let it cook for about 20 seconds, add ½ tsp. paprika or Kashmiri chilli powder for a bright red colour and turn off the gas.
- Pour it on the boiling lentils and mix well. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot.
- This method keeps the tempering fresh and vibrant and gives a lovely taste to dal.
- I prefer this method if I have made a large batch of dal. I just heat the dal and give it a fresh tempering for a very close to freshly cooked dal in taste.
- Your brown lentils are ready to eat.
Alternative
- You can also do the tempering first. Heat oil in your pressure cooker. Add 1 tsp. cumin seeds and ¼ tsp. heeng and allow cumin to sputter. Add in 2 dry red chillies.
- Add chopped onion and ginger and garlic. Cook till golden brown. Now add tomatoes to the pressure cooker.
- Once everything is mushy, add the raw lentils, salt with water and spices and cook the dal.
- Finally garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot.
- There is no final tempering at the end.
Instructions (Instant Pot)
- Turn the instant pot on and set it in sauté mode. Heat oil and add cumin seeds, dry red chillies and heeng in.
- Fry for 30 seconds. Now add 1 chopped onion and ginger and garlic paste.
- Fry till it is golden brown. Then add chopped tomatoes and fry for 3 minutes till it is mushy.
- Add washed lentils, water and salt. Cancel the sauté mode.
- Add turmeric powder and washed brown lentils.Close the Instant Pot lid, set the valve to sealing.
- Pressure cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Allow natural pressure release.
- Open the lid and add some water to thin down the dal if needed.
- Add in the garam masala, ground coriander and cayenne (optional). Stir well.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro. Your instant pot masoor dal is ready to serve.
Notes
1. Soaking the lentils helps in expediting the cooking time. It is not mandatory though but it will take longer to cook.
2. Pressure cooking either on stove top or Instant pot is preferred because these lentils will take too long to cook in a regular pan.
3. You can vary the spices as per your taste.
4. If you don’t like heat, skip the green chillies and the cayenne.
5. You can make a large batch of the dal and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an air tight container. Heat and serve.
Add more water to thin down the dal.
6. You can freeze this dal for upto 3 months in a freezer-safe container. Thaw and reheat before serving.
7. At any step, you can add more water to the dal if it is very thick for you, especially after storing.
2. Pressure cooking either on stove top or Instant pot is preferred because these lentils will take too long to cook in a regular pan.
3. You can vary the spices as per your taste.
4. If you don’t like heat, skip the green chillies and the cayenne.
5. You can make a large batch of the dal and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an air tight container. Heat and serve.
Add more water to thin down the dal.
6. You can freeze this dal for upto 3 months in a freezer-safe container. Thaw and reheat before serving.
7. At any step, you can add more water to the dal if it is very thick for you, especially after storing.
Nutrition
Calories: 240kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 248mg | Potassium: 611mg | Fiber: 17g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 898IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 5mg