Whole Masoor Dal: Brown Lentil Curry - So Yummy Recipes (2024)

What is whole masoor dal?

Whole masoor dal is a lentil that is also known as brown lentil. It is the type of legume that is used a lot in the Indian sub-continent. From India to Pakistan. From Bangladesh to Nepal. And most regions in between.

They all have their own version of cooking this brown lentil.

But they all have similarities in some spices and methods. Because they all originated from India anyway.

When you try this dal, you know why it spreads so widely across the globe because the legume has a delightful texture that marries well with the spices.

And it is so easy to make this lentil dish, yet it gives you a satisfying and heartwarming meal. What’s not to love?

Mind you, lentils are widely used and cooked in Indian meals. There are many varieties of lentils. Moong dal, chana dal, yellow dal, toor dal, and urad dal are some of them, including masoor dal.

To cook these whole brown lentils, you can use the old-fashioned style of cooking, which is using an ordinary cooking pot. Or, you can use your modern gadgets such as a pressure cooker or an instant pot.

Rest assured, whether you cook the dal in an ordinary cooking pot, a pressure cooker, or an instant pot, your cooked masoor dar will taste equally delicious.

And if you are a vegetarian or a vegan, you will be happy to have found this recipe because this dal is vegan.

What is the difference between red lentils and masoor dal?

If you go to Asian shops, you can find there are two types of masoor dal. Red masoor dal and brown dal.

The washed ones are called red lentils (red masoor dal). They do not have skins/ husks.

The whole ones are called brown lentils. They do have skins/ husks that are also called sabut masoor dal. Because sabut literally means skin/ husk.

Here, I’m sharing with you the recipe for the latter one, dal brown curry. It’s our favorite dal in our household. Of all the variety of lentils, there is, we love this brown dal the most.

Ingredients to make sabut masoor dal

Like most of my curries, I don’t put too many varieties of spices in this sabut masoor dal recipe.

If you often cook Indian food anyway, chances are you will have all the ingredients needed.

You only need brown lentils, ginger, garlic, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, ground black pepper, tomatoes, whole cumin seeds, whole black mustard seeds, salt, and cooking oil.

You might come across recipes that use garam masala to make this dal. Not in this one. As I don’t use garam masala in this recipe.

I must say that my recipe here is rooted in the Pakistani way of cooking that I learned from my sister-in-law. Though throughout the years I tweaked the recipe and the spice proportion to my own liking.

However, this recipe has earned a lot of positive remarks and acknowledgment from my extended family and friends.

Hence, I want to share the joy and smile with you.

How to make whole masoor dal in a regular cooking pan

To cut down the cooking time, I suggest you soak the lentils overnight. Or, at the very least, 4-6 hours.

So, if you are cooking this dal for dinner, you can start soaking the lentils in the morning. Make sure you place them in a big enough bowl that can hold the water three times as much as the lentil because legumes do soak water and expand.

When you are ready to cook, drain and discard the water.

In a large cooking pan, bring the water to a boil. Or, you can use hot boiling water from the kettle or the tap.

Then put all the ginger and garlic with ground spices into the water.

Add the chopped tomato and let the water reboil. Once it reboils, add salt and let it cook for 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes soften.

Next, you add the lentils. Give it a good stir before you put the lid on, and let it cook at medium-low heat.

Take care, and keep checking every now and again to ensure the lentil does not get burned at the bottom of the pan. It takes me around 30 minutes to cook.

When the lentils are soft and done, mash them a little bit. You can use the back of a wooden spoon to mash about a third of the lentils. Or, you can use a handheld blender to do it.

Then you make the tadka/ tarka. Saute the whole cumin seeds, whole black mustard seeds, and chopped garlic in cooking oil until they release an aroma. You can see that the garlic turns golden brown in color, and some of the seeds will be crackling.

If you like, you can add a few green chilies or dried chilies in the tarka.

Carefully pour the oil with the whole spice into the dal and let the dal simmer for about 7-10 minutes until you get the right consistency.

If you find the dal is too thick, you can add water to it.

How to make masoor dal in a stovetop pressure cooker

The beauty of using a pressure cooker to make this whole masoor dal is that you don’t have to soak your dal long in advance.

An hour or two at max is more than enough. To be honest, I often soaked it for about 10-15 minutes only.

When you use a stovetop pressure cooker, you pretty much follow the same steps mentioned above.

The difference is that the amount of water you put in is about one cup extra.

So you put 5 cups of water, hot boiling water in your cooker. Turn the stove on to medium-high heat.

Add the minced ginger garlic, all the ground spices, salt, and chopped tomatoes. Let the water reboils.

Then add your dal in. Stir well before you put the lid on your cooker. And start cooking according to your pressure cooker’s manual.

When we pressure cook on medium heat, it only takes about 15-20 minutes from the moment the pressure cooker whistles.

Do take care and wait for the pressure to stop completely before you are tempted to open the cooker.

I will let the pressure release naturally.

Once the pressure has gone and it is safe for you to take the lid off your cooker, make the masoor dal tarka as explained above.

Pour the oil and spices into your dal and simmer the dal. Here, I usually use an ordinary cooking pan lid to cover my cooker.

How to make this whole masoor dal in an instant pot

If you want to make the lentil using an instant pot, you do it in a similar way as cooking in a pressure cooker. So, you will be using the pressure cook function of your instant pot.

Pour your hot boiling water into the instant pot pan, followed by ginger, garlic, ground spices, salt, and chopped tomatoes. Then, add the lentils in.

Put the lid on and make sure it is secure.

Choose the pressure cook setting and set the time to 15 minutes. Now, I must remind you that there are a few different types of instant pots. So please refer to your IP manual and make sure you choose to cook on high pressure.

Mine is Instant Pot Duo Crisp, which doesn’t have an option for choosing the type of pressure.

When your instant pot beeps at the end of cooking time, use the quick-release button to depressurize the cooker. Otherwise, it will continue to pressure cook.

As you wait for the pressure to release naturally, saute the whole black mustard seeds and add cumin seeds. Followed by chopped or finely sliced garlic.

Once you are sure it is safe to open your instant pot lid, do so and pour the oil and whole spices into the dal. Mix well. At the same time, I would mash some of the lentils.

Then put the lid back on and set your IP to pressure cook again. This time, you just do it for 2-3 minutes.

Masoor dal tadka

I have to mention that you can elaborate on your tarka. Although it is basically made with whole spices, you can also brown the onions and then add chopped garlic to your oil.

Then add the black mustard seed and cumin seeds and let them splutter. Sometimes I also add whole dried red chilies too or even fresh green chilies. All these make the oil smell amazing.

And don’t forget to garnish your lentil with chopped coriander leaves/ cilantro. This will make the dal have a more delicious aroma.

What to eat with your brown lentil curry

If you ask me, this whole lentil curry goes well with rice. Just simple white Basmati rice. And if you like, you can have it with a dollop of natural yogurt or Greek yogurt. Plus, a teaspoon of chili achar. Simply yummy.

However, this lentil is equally mouthwatering to enjoy with flatbread. You can choose chapati/ roti, naan bread, or even pitta bread.

Storage matter

When you cook masoor dal, try to do it in batches as it keeps well for one week in the refrigerator.

Mind you, this recipe makes 6 generous portions that I always have some leftover to keep in my refrigerator.

Like many foods, the dal made the night before tastes better than the freshly made one maybe because all the spices and flavoring have developed better in time.

This dal also freezes well for up to two months. So, it can be handy for when you are having a busy week and running out of time to cook.

Whenever you need it, you can take it out of the freezer and leave it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. If you do this, make sure you finish the thawed food within a few days. And you must not refreeze it.

More ideas for legume recipes

Thank you for checking this whole masoor dal recipe. I hope you will try it. When you do, could you rate the recipe and share what you think of it in the comments below? I’d really appreciate it.

Before you go, you may want to check my other legume recipes that you may like

• Dal gosht: chana lentil and meat curry.
• Mung bean curry: whole mung bean dal recipe.

Lastly, please follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. To sneak a look at what’s cooking in my kitchen.

Take care and all the best.

Whole masoor dal recipe card