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