How long does it take to make Masoor Daal - Indian Red Lentils?

About 1 hour 15 minutes in total: 15 minutes of prep and 1 hour of cooking.

How many servings does this Masoor Daal - Indian Red Lentils recipe make?

This recipe makes 6 servings as written; ingredient quantities on this page can be scaled.

Where does this Masoor Daal - Indian Red Lentils recipe come from?

It was shared by Love6381 on reelsmeals. ReelsMeals structured the original post into this step-by-step card; the original is linked above.

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Masoor Daal – 75-Minute Recipe

Name: Masoor Daal – 75-Minute Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 0.5 lb red lentil; water, as needed; 2 tablespoons ghee or canola oil; 1 medium onion, thinly sliced; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds; 2 teaspoons cumin seeds; 2 teaspoons dried red pepper flakes; 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds; 6 inches cinnamon stick, broken; 2 tablespoons lemon juice or tamarind paste; 2 cups plain low-fat yogurt or coconut milk

These cute legumes are SO yummy! I made this for my nutrition class and it was a huge hit! Options for the vegan version are listed.

Recipe by Love6381· Structured by ReelsMeals

From: Website(view original)

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Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

1 hr

Servings

About this saved recipe

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Cooking context

1 hr 15 min estimated total time for 6 servings.

Explore related saves

dinner vegetarian indian

Ingredients

1/2 lb red lentil
water, as needed
2 tablespoons ghee or canola oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons dried red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
6 inches cinnamon stick, broken
2 tablespoons lemon juice or tamarind paste
2 cups plain low-fat yogurt or coconut milk

Instructions

1
Wash the lentils well, and then put them into a sauce pan. Add 4 - 6 cups of salted water to cover the lentils.
2
Bring lentils to a boil then reduce heat, cover and allow to simmer until they are soft. Keep the water level above the lentils.
3
While the lentils are simmering, grind the spices together then toast them over low heat in a dry sauté pan until you have released their aromas. Set spices aside.
4
Using the same sauté pan, heat ghee or oil over low to medium heat. Add onions and sauté until they are soft. Add garlic, sauté another 3-4 minutes. Do not burn the onions or garlic. Add spice mixture; continue to cook for 2 minutes.
5
Once the lentils have become soft, add them and their cooking liquid to the onion and spice mixture (add more water or broth if lentil are too thick). Stir and scrape up any bit from the bottom. Stir in lemon juice, adjust salt and continue to cook for 5 minutes.

Helpful tips while cooking

AI-assisted notes grounded in this recipe's ingredients, timings, and method—not additional creator instructions.

Maintain water level

Keep the water level above the lentils while they simmer.

Toast spices dry first

Grind and toast the whole spices in a dry pan before adding oil to release their aromas.

Sauté aromatics gently

Sauté onions on low to medium heat until soft, then add garlic and cook 3‑4 minutes without burning before adding the spice mix.

Scrape the pan bottom

When adding the cooked lentils, stir and scrape any bits from the bottom of the pan, then simmer for 5 minutes.

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