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Explore the flavors of India with this comforting Red Lentil Dal Recipe! Discover a vegan, protein-rich dish full of aromatic spices, creamy texture, and health benefits. Perfect for warming your soul any day.
Table of Contents
Red Lentil Dal, also known as Masoor Dal, is a classic and popular Indian recipe. It’s a comforting, satisfying dish packed with plant-based nutrients, offering a warm embrace to both your body and soul.
Why You’ll Love This Dal
Dal is one of the most popular dishes in Indian cuisine, typically made by simmering legumes with warming spices, creamy coconut milk, and aromatic tomatoes until they reach a mushy consistency. It’s served as a main dish with rice or Naan bread, or as a side dish.
There are many types of dal, and in this post, you’ll learn how to prepare a delicious Red Lentil Dal recipe. Masoor Dal, the Indian name for this dish, is one of the most popular and well-known Indian dal variations. In Hindi, Masoor Dal translates to “red split lentils.”
Lentils are an essential part of Indian cuisine, especially since a large part of the Indian population is vegetarian. 100g of lentils contain 24g of protein and 17g of fiber, making them a plant-based superfood.
Different Indian Dal Varieties
- Chana Dal: Peeled and split chickpeas.
- Masoor Dal: Peeled and split red lentils.
- Moong Dal: Peeled and split mung beans (resemble yellow lentils in appearance).
- Urad Dal: Peeled and split urad beans.
- Toor Dal: Peeled and split pigeon peas.
Ingredients
See recipe card for quantities.
👩🍳 Step-by-Step Visual Guide
For first-timers, I’ve created a visual guide with step-by-step pictures. Check out the masoor dal recipe video to see how easy it is!
- Rinse red lentils in a sieve under cold running water.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add chopped onion, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in red lentils and chopped tomatoes.
- Deglaze with vegetable broth and coconut milk. Simmer covered on low heat for 30 minutes.
- Add grated lemon zest and juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Simmer for another 10 minutes until the dal reaches your desired consistency.
- Serve in a bowl and garnish with fresh cilantro (optional). Pairs well with warm Naan bread, Indian saffron rice, or basmati rice. I love to add a dollop of dairy-free yogurt.
Variations
- Extra Vegetables – If you want to add some veggies to your Dal, try sautéing two diced carrots with the onions. It’s super tasty and adds extra vitamins.
- Spinach – Feel free to stir in some roughly chopped spinach during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
- Fresh Tomatoes – Instead of canned chopped tomatoes, you can also use ripe, fresh tomatoes for this recipe.
- Yellow Lentil Dal – Use yellow lentils to make a Yellow Lentil Dal (Dal Tadka)!
FAQs
🫙 Storage Instructions
Store leftovers in Tupperware in the fridge. They’ll stay fresh for up to 3 days.
Reheat in the microwave or in a frying pan with a splash of water!
More Indian Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Red Lentil Dal (Masoor Dal)
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Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 inch piece ginger minced (2 tbsp)
- 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper or more
- 1 cup (200 g) dried red lentils
- 1 x 14 oz can (400 g) chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup (250 ml) coconut milk
- 2 cups (500 ml) vegetable broth
- ½ lemon juice & grated zest
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
Instructions
- Rinse red lentils in a sieve under cold running water.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add chopped onion, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in red lentils and chopped tomatoes.
- Deglaze with vegetable broth and coconut milk. Simmer covered on low heat for 30 minutes.
- Add grated lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper.
- Simmer for another 10 minutes until the Dal reaches your desired consistency.
- Serve in a bowl and garnish with fresh coriander (optional). Pairs well with warm Naan bread, Indian saffron rice, or jasmine rice. I love to add a dollop of dairy-free yogurt.
