Whole Masoor Dal Recipe

This is not your everyday dal. This whole masoor dal is rich, creamy, deeply flavoured, and elegantly topped with fried onions tadka.

Jump to:

• Ingredients You’ll Need
• How To Whole Masoor Dal
• Serving Suggestion
• Whole Masoor Dal Recipe

This whole masoor dal recipe is inspired from the Mughlai Cuisine. The extra step of making birista (fried onions) is worth every moment, promising a rich, sweet, and savoury depth of flavour you won’t soon forget!

If you are bored with the popular dal makhani or the yellow tadka dal, then surely bookmark this sabut masoor recipe for your next family dinner.

The foundation of this dish is the whole brown lentil, often referred to as Kali Masoor or Sabut Masoor. It is the brown sister of pink lentil, once hulled, you get the beautiful pink masoor.

Why Birista Changes Everything

Birista is the secret weapon in many layered rice, and lentil Indian dishes like biryani, sookhi urad dal or pulao.

• Intense Flavor: Slow-frying onions until they turn deep golden-brown concentrates their natural sugars, creating a flavour that is both intensely sweet and savoury—far beyond the simple taste of raw or sautéed onion.
• Irresistible Texture: The crispy, shatteringly dry texture of the birista contrasts beautifully with the creamy, velvety texture of the slow-cooked masoor dal.

How To Whole Masoor Dal

1. Cooking the Dal

• Rinse brown lentil with water 2 – 3 times. Soak in clean water for 15 – 20 minutes. After set time, drain the soaked masoor dal.
• In a pressure cooker or instant pot, combine the drained lentil, 3 cups of water, turmeric, coriander powder, ginger, tomato, asafoetida, green chilli, and salt.

• Pressure cook for 4 whistles on medium heat. The lentils should be cooked but should still hold their shape (not be completely mashed).
• Once done, let the pressure release naturally, mash the dal lightly with the back of a ladle to give it a slightly creamy texture.

2. Preparing the Tadka

• Heat ghee or oil in a heavy-bottomed pan.
• Add the sliced onion and fry until it turns light golden and slightly crispy. This takes patience (around 15-20 minutes). They must be truly golden, but not burnt!

• Add sliced garlic, cumin, and cook for 1 – 2 minutes to brown the garlic.

3. The Final Touch

• Turn on the heat of the masoor dal.
• Add chilli powder, mango powder, garam masala, and stir to combine. Taste, if required, add more seasoning accordingly.

• Adjust the consistency by adding a little hot water if the dal is too thick. Let it simmer gently for 10 minutes for the flavors to meld.
• Pour the simmering Whole Masoor Dal into a serving bowl. Spread the tadka with ghee and fried onions over the dal.

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Serving Suggestion

Serve the decadent and comforting whole masoor dal with:

• Soft, pillowy Naan or Tandoori Roti.
• Steamed Basmati Rice, Peas Pulao or Jeera Rice (Cumin Rice).
• A side of mint raita, to cut through the richness and a refreshing touch.
• A simple Kachumber Salad (finely chopped cucumber, tomato, and onion with lemon juice).

follow us on Youtube or Instagram for video recipes.

Whole Masoor Dal Recipe

This whole sabut masoor dal is rich, creamy, deeply flavoured, and elegantly topped with fried onions tadka.

No ratings yet

Save Saved! Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 adults

Calories: 333kcal

Author: Hina Gujral

• Mixing Bowl
• Pressure Cooker
• Tadka Pan

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

1x2x3x

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 Cup brown lentil (sabut masoor dal), uncooked
• ▢ 1 medium size tomato, finely chopped
• ▢ ½ inch ginger, peeled and sliced
• ▢ 1 green chilli, chopped
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon coriander powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Garam Masala Powder (get recipe)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon mango powder (amchur)

Ingredients For Tadka (Tempering)

• ▢ 4 tablespoon ghee
• ▢ 1 large size red onion, sliced
• ▢ 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
• ▢ handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Instructions

• Rinse brown lentil with water 2 – 3 times. Soak in clean water for 15 – 20 minutes. After set time, drain the soaked masoor dal.
• In a pressure cooker or instant pot, combine the drained lentil, 3 cups of water, turmeric, coriander powder, ginger, tomato, asafoetida, green chilli, and salt.
• Pressure cook for 4 whistles on medium heat. The lentils should be cooked but should still hold their shape (not be completely mashed). Once done, let the pressure release naturally, mash the dal lightly with the back of a ladle to give it a slightly creamy texture.
• Heat ghee or oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the sliced onion and fry until it turns light golden and slightly crispy. This takes patience (around 15-20 minutes). They must be truly golden, but not burnt! Add sliced garlic, cumin, and cook for 1 – 2 minutes to brown the garlic.
• Turn on the heat of the masoor dal. Add chilli powder, mango powder, garam masala, and stir to combine. Taste, if required, add more seasoning accordingly.
• Adjust the consistency by adding a little hot water if the dal is too thick. Let it simmer gently for 10 minutes for the flavours to meld. Pour the simmering Whole Masoor Dal into a serving bowl. Spread the tadka with ghee and fried onions over the dal.
• Garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve the decadent and comforting whole masoor dal with jeera rice or naan.

Recipe Notes:

• Soaking brown lentil helps in reducing the cooking time and at the same time keeping the texture of lentil intact. 
• In an instant pot, pressure cook the lentil for 15 minutes at medium setting.

Nutrition

Calories: 333kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 49mg | Potassium: 613mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 353IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 4mg

If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and a rating. This helps us grow and reach more food lovers like you.