Recipe: Tasty Masoor Dahl (Red Lentil Curry) with Rice

Masoor Dahl (Red Lentil Curry) with Rice. Masoor dal is the same thing as red lentils, which are popular and easy to find at many grocery stores in the US. They're super cheap and cook quickly making them a great Serve with some basmati rice and if you'd like a veggie filled curry or some simple curry roasted vegetables for a complete meal. Masoor dal is a spiced Indian lentil dish that's equal parts flavorful and cozy; serve with rice or naan bread for dipping.

So a dal doesn't refer to a specific dish, but to actual legumes! Quick and easy Red Lentil Curry, also known as Masoor Dal, made in the instant pot along with pot-in-pot basmati rice. This is a rich and hearty lentil curry, great as a main meal rather than as a side dish like the more traditional Indian dhal. You can have Masoor Dahl (Red Lentil Curry) with Rice using 18 ingredients and 12 steps. Here is how you achieve that.

Ingredients of Masoor Dahl (Red Lentil Curry) with Rice

1. 🢂 1 cups of lentils (red kind).
2. 🢂 4 cups of water.
3. 🢂 2 of onion.
4. 🢂 2 of tomato.
5. 🢂 to taste of Ginger root.
6. 🢂 cloves of Garlic to taste.
7. 🢂 of Ground cumin.
8. 🢂 of Ground garam masala.
9. 🢂 of Ground coriander.
10. 🢂 of Ground cardamom.
11. 🢂 of Chili powder.
12. 🢂 of Cayenne pepper.
13. 🢂 of Ground turmeric.
14. 🢂 of Salt.
15. 🢂 of Ghee or oil.
16. 🢂 of Fresh Coriander.
17. 🢂 of Ground cinnamon.
18. 🢂 1 cup of rice.

Don't let the ingredient list faze you, this really is an easy dish to make. Making masoor dal (authentic red lentil curry) at home is SO much easier than you think. This is a favorite recipe that's loved by everyone who tries it. Dal, or stewed lentils, is so ingrained in Pakistani and Indian culture that you'd be hard-pressed to find a pantry in the Indian Subcontinent without some.

step by step Masoor Dahl (Red Lentil Curry) with Rice

1. Wash and rinse the rice. Then cook your rice per package directions and set aside. While rice is cooking wash and rinse your lentils then set aside.
2. Dice onion garlic ginger tomato and set aside.
3. In a bowl, proportion your spices to taste and set aside. I usually lead with turmeric and cumin as 11/2tsp ea followed by the rest at 1/4 to 1/2 tsp ea. You could just use a curry powder if you want. Proportion to taste. I used a curry powder (big pile on white cutting board) in the below photo along with some other spices. I did use a measuring spoon because it makes cool little piles).
4. Heat ghee or oil in a pot then saute the onion until brown over medium high heat.
5. Add garlic and ginger to pot then saute for another 1 minutes or so.
6. Add diced tomato and saute for another 2 minutes or so.
7. Add spices and mix into the masala and let them cook for 1 minute or so.
8. Add lentils and mix until coated in spices.
9. Add water, start with 2 cups in and then bring to boil then turn heat down and simmer covered for 20 to 30 minutes. Make sure to check it and give it a stir every so often. Add additional water as needed to form your desired consistency. (Blury photo).
10. Chop the coriander then add to the pot. Reserve some leaves to add to each serving. Below photo was taken before I added some coriander to my bowl.
11. You can do the same thing with chickpeas (channa dahl) just follow direction for preparing/cooking dried chickpeas or use canned version. I prefer the dried pulses..
12. You can also omit the pulse and just add chicken and potato to make a chicken curry dish. I guess that is another receipe...lol.

Brown Masoor dal lentils are the unpeeled and unsplit orange-red masoor dal lentils. The red split lentils cook faster because they hardly need soaking and We love our spicy lentils with cooked rice or flatbread in a bowl. Masoor dal curry can also be part of a thali. A thali is a platter consisting of. I also love the smoky notes it lends to the finished dal.