Jul 29, 2010

Basic Masoor Dal

Masoor dal is a quick comfort food which often found in our weekday menus. I love the fact that it cooks quicker than other dals. It gives a creamy consistency and is so yummy when tempered with ghee. A bowl of rice and dal with some pickle and papad makes a yummy comfort meal often when I cook for myself and when in no mood for elaborate cooking.

Masoor dal also known as red/pink dal is a rich source of protein, cooks quickly, and turns golden and mushy when cooked. This recipe is passed onto me from my grandma. You might wonder, what difference might actually be there in a basic dal recipe. Yes, there is a small twist in this recipe. My grandma actually uses 1 spoon of grated coconut while tempering and it gives a nice aroma to the dal.

Now onto the recipe..

Ingredients
Masoor Dal/Red Lentils - 1 cup
Onion - 1 small sized finely chopped
Tomato - 1 small finely diced
Red chillies - 2
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste

For the tempering:
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Urad dal - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves - few
Asafoetida/Hing - 1 pinch
Grated coconut - 1 teaspoon
Ghee - 2 teaspoon

 
Directions
In a pressure cooker, add the dal along with about 2 cups of water, chopped tomatoes and turmeric powder. pressure cook for about three whistles, until the dal turns soft. Once the pressure gets released, open the pressure cooker and with the back of a ladle, mash the dal well until you get a creamy consistency. Add salt to taste.

In a saucepan, do the tempering. Heat the ghee (you may substitute the ghee with oil, but the ghee renders the yummy taste to the dal) and add the mustard seeds. once the start spluttering add the other tempering ingredients one by one(urad dal, asafoetida, curry leaves, dried red chillies and grated coconut). Once everything gets tempered, add the chopped onions and saute till they turn translucent.

Here comes another trick from grandma! Once the tempering is ready, switch of the stove. Using a small ladle, take about 1 tablespoon of the cooked dal and add it to the tempering. Mix well. By doing this, all the flavor from the tempering gets incorporated in the dal well. Transfer the tempering to the remaining dal and mix well. This actually works! Do try this when you do tempering next time for any dish!

Serve warm along with rice or roti.

Sending this to MLLA:#25 hosted by Siri and started by Susan
and also to Back to Basics hosted at Desi Soccer Mom

23 comments:

  1. Thank you the entry Divya. The coconut tip sounds interesting. Will try it the next time. :)

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  2. very healthy masoor dal... will surely try dis.. thnx 4 sharing...

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  3. beautiful clicks with nice presentation Divya.

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  4. Such a wonderful comfort food..Grandma's recipes are always special !!!

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  5. simple but very tasty dish.. its a nice combo with rice and pickle

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  6. I love masoor dal and this looks simply delicious :)

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  7. that is looking so comforting.. liked the ingredients of your tempering :)

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  8. Masoor dhal is my favorite when it comes to Dhal dishes, I think it has great flavor in it. Looks scrumptious

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  9. That's true - comfort food at its best! Love it both with rotis and with rice!

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  10. Lovely and comforting Dal Divya. Good clicks.

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  11. Such a delicious and comforting food, love it..

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  12. படங்கள் அருமை...சூப்பர்ப்...

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  13. Masoor dal is definitely comfort food, but its much more for me. Its a life saver as it cooks up so quickly and I love the taste of it. :)

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  14. Love masoor dal,really is a comfort and healthy food

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  15. Love dhal and make it a few times a week!!! Proteinious and a comfy too!!!

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  16. I love this one tooo.... nice one..
    Heyy bread upuma sound divine too me.. great clicks..
    how have u been? bloghopping after a while now...

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  17. My wife made this today (8/6) and we both agreed it is a keeper. I liked the nice blend of flavors with nothing standing out. Very good. (We had it with pork vindaloo and some rice.)

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  18. Thanks for this wonderful recipe. It is rare that i come across a recipe that is so good that it becomes part of the weekly menu. I make this every week now! It is so simple and so wholesome

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Hi..
Thanks for dropping by my blog and rendering your valuable comments..Hope you had a nice time reading my recipes..Thanks for your encouragement..