Moong masoor dal is a healthy, protein-rich lentil recipe. This is made in the Indian way. Delicious, nutritious, easy, less than 30 minutes, comfort food.
Moong Masoor Dal,ย as the name says, has no hidden ingredients. Dal is one of the staple foods of India. This dish is prepared in almost all parts of the country. Also, the variety of ingredients and methods of preparation gives it different flavors. This pairs well with rice or flatbreads (roti). It goes well with tandoori roti or plain chapati.
Moong Masoor Dal (Indian Red Lentil Soup)
Here I have mixed yellow moong dal (de-husked green gram) and masoor (red lentils) for this recipe. However, you can also take only red lentils or yellow moong. Moong dal brings thickness to the masoor dal, in fact.
Dal lentils areย high in proteinย and help maintain the balance of dietary protein requirements.
Related: Read my Collection of Indian Dal Recipes
In India, it's everyday food, and a plate or menu is incomplete without a lentil dish. In North India, Dal roti is one of the main combos, whereas in the Eastern part, Dal Rice is a popular combo.
Lentil Soup As Baby Food
If you are making this dal for yourย kid or toddler,ย then add a few vegetables to this like carrots, potatoes, and peas/ spinach, pumpkin, and mash the vegetables with the dal while feeding them.
Now my baby is 5 years old, and he doesn't like dal at all. So I try to find ways to incorporate this superfood into his diet. And now I knead flour with one bowl of dal and make paratha out of that dough. And luckily, he likes paratha. So, dal paratha is one of the best alternatives for him.
How to make moong masoor dal?
This Moong & Masoor dal recipe is easy to prepare and takes only 15 minutes of cooking time. One thing to keep in mind is to add water carefully while cooking in a pressure cooker. Don't add more water or very little to avoid burning.
For tadka or tempering, I prefer adding asafoetida powder as it gives a strong flavor to the dish. It also helps in digestion without causing bloating. Other than this, cumin seeds and crushed garlic are also great ingredients and have very different flavors. Sometimes I use mustard seeds and curry leaves to the tadka.
Extra tip: If you see more water after pressure-cooking dal or lentils, try this trick. Let it rest for 10 minutes. The thick dal will settle to the bottom, and you can see a clear, yellowish liquid on top. Try to remove it from the top slowly without mixing. Don't discard that water; store it, as you can use it in curry in place of water, or consume it as a clear lentil soup. This clear lentil soup also provides the nutritional benefits of lentils.
Recipe Card for Indian Red Lentil Soup
Moong Masoor Dal/ Mixed Lentils Soup
Ingredients
For Dal
- ยฝ cup Mung dal (Yellow Moong)
- ยฝ cup Red lentils (Masoor Dal)
- 1 tsp Salt
- ยผ tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 Tomato chopped or diced
- 1 ยฝ cup Water
For Tampering (Tadka)
- 2 - 3 tbsp Ghee
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 4 - 6 Garlic pods crushed or finely chopped
- 4 Curry Leaves (optional)
- 2 Dried Red chillies
- 1 Green Chilli finely chopped
- ยฝ tsp Asafoetida Powder
- 2 tbsp Coriander Powder
- 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
- 2 tbsp Fresh Coriander leaves finely chopped
- 1 tsp Lemon juice freshly sqeezed
Instructions
- Wash and soak dal in water for 10 minutes. Soaking for 10 minutes is optional. This is to fasten the cooking time only.
- After 10 minutes transfer dal and water in a pressure cooker. Add salt and turmeric to it. Then dice tomato and add to the dal in cooker.
- Close the lid and pressure cook for 2 whistles on medium heat. Turn off the gas and let the cooker cool and open the lid after that only.
- Once the lid opens, prepare the tadka and add it to the dal and close the lid immediately so that dal would absorb the flavor and aroma of the spices in tadka.
- For tadka, take a tadka pan or small pan. Heat 2 tbsp ghee (or refined oil). Once ghee is hot add cumin seeds and let it splutter.
- Add chopped or minced garlic and saute till it's light brown.
- Then add asafoetida powder, red chilli (dry), chopped green chillies.
- Immediately reduce to slow flame or turn off the heat (if using small tadka pan). Add coriander powder and red chilli powder and mix well with help of a spoon.
- The spices will get cooked in hot oil. Then immediately add the tadka to the dal and cover the lid.
- After 2 - 3 minutes open the lid and add chopped coriander leaves.
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