Bengali Masoor Dal – Bengali Style Red Lentil Dal

Bengali Masoor Dal – Bengali Style Red Lentil Dal is light, healthy and soupy and is flavoured with loads of fresh tomatoes and coriander leaves and tempered with mustard seeds and dried red chillies. This simple and wholesome everyday Bengali style masoor dal is most satisfying and comforting food of all time. 

You can take meat, fish and vegetables away from an Indian, but you cannot take away his dal – “the core of his meal”.

~ Madhur Jaffery (Ultimate Curry Bible)

DAL is a versatile and nutritious and a very satisfying dish. Everyday dal  is a staple in each and every household in India and Indian meal is incomplete without dal/lentil soups. This soupy lentil dish you will find in the poorest as well as the richest homes in India. 

There are so many different varieties of dal like masoor dal (red lentil dal), toor/arhaar dal (pigeon pea dal), chana dal (chickpea dal), urad dal and so on..  The list seems endless right. In all there are 60 different kinds of dals. 

So you can imagine now how many ways these lentils can be prepared. Every home has its own way of preparing dal/lentil. 

Today, I am sharing this simple Bengali Masoor Dal – Bengali Style Red Lentil Dal. Dal is a dish which can comfort and satisfy you all year round. It is delicious and convenient, they have got it all. The sharp spices, fresh and clean herbs with the masoor dal works well for a dark winter’s night as well as on a summer evening. 😀 

This Bengali Masoor Dal – Bengali Style Red Lentil Dal with tomatoes is a staple in my house : it is thin and soupy and love eating a simple meal of plain steamed rice and dal with this crispy crunchy side of jhuri aloo bhaja (matchstick potato fries) (recipe here)  and  quick okra and potato fry (aloo bhindi bhaji) (recipe here). 

Yummm!! 

Bengali Masoor Dal - Bengali Style Red Lentil Dal

2015-09-09 21:40:30

Light, healthy and soupy this red lentil soup/dal (masoor dal) is flavoured with loads of fresh tomatoes and coriander leaves and tempered with mustard seeds and dried red chillies. This simple and wholesome everyday Bengali style masoor dal is most satisfying and comforting food of all time.

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Ingredients

1. 100 gms Red Lentils (Masoor Dal)
2. 2 small Tomatoes, chopped
3. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
4. 3-4 green chillies
5. salt as per taste
6. 1/4 cup Coriander leaves, chopped

Tempering

1. 1 tbsp Veg oil/ Sunflower oil
2. 1 tsp mustard seeds
3. 2-3 dried red chilli

Instructions

1. Wash the masoor dal (red lentils) 4 to 5 times with water until the water runs clear.
2. Add the dal to a heavy deep bottom pan and cover with three-four cups of cold water. Bring to a boil and skim off any scum that rises to the top.
3. Add turmeric and salt. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer gently for about 25 mins. Stir occasionally, the dal/lentil will start to break down. Add in the chopped tomatoes and slit green chillies and continue to simmer for another 20-25 mins.
4. Stir occasionally.
5. Use a whisk to stir the dal until the tomatoes and the dal is completely broken down.
6. You can adjust your consistently as per your desire by adding hot water to the dal to make it thin and soupy or cranking up the heat to make it thick and creamy. I like to have my dal thin and soupy so I added another 1/2 cup of hot water.
7. Now to make the tarka/tempering Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan and temper the oil with dried red chillies and fry for few seconds, then add the mustard seeds and let it splutter.
8. Slowly pour the tempering/ tarka over the dal. stir everything well and let the dal boil for another 5-6 mins.
9. Garnish the masoor dal with lots of freshly chopped coriander leaves.
10. Serve it with hot steamed rice or indian flat bread.

Gastronomic BONG https://thegastronomicbong.com/

I hope you enjoy this super simple, delicious and satisfying Bengali Masoor Dal – Bengali Style Red Lentil Dal as much as I do.

Sides perfect with DAL and RICE.

MatchStick Potato Fries (Jhuri Aloo Bhaja)

Quick Okra and Potato Fry – Aloo Bhindi Bhaji

Bon Appetite!!!

Love Arpita