Recipe | Massour Dal With Rice

Anytime I am in a discussion about budget-friendly recipes, most people argue that there is nothing better than a simple plate of pasta. Yes, pasta is a good option, but I think, the king of budget-friendly recipes has got to be the humble massour dal. And there are many reasons why. Of which, I will give you three most important ones. First, these tiny bright orange colour lentils are nutritious, packed with protein (half a cup has a whopping 11g) and iron. Second, when cooked into a stew or soup, it is so filling which sometimes isn’t the case with many other budget-friendly recipes, and third, it is ridiculously cheap and so delicious!


It is a staple food in South Asia and loved by everyone, rich or poor. There are thousands of ways you can make dal but my most favourite way to have it as a thick creamy stew with plain basmati rice. I can eat this daily because it is so delicious and a breeze to make. I often wonder why lentil is not yet a hot ingredient in America. When you try the following recipe, you would be asking the same question too.

Recipe: Massour dal with rice
Serves 2–4

Ingredients

1 cup of Massour dal soaked 15 minutes prior to cooking.
1 medium size onion diced
1 teaspoon of grated ginger
1 whole Thai chilli
2 medium size tomatoes peeled and diced
3–5 cloves of garlic chopped
½ tsp of whole cumin
½ teaspoon of turmeric
½ teaspoon of curry powder
3 tablespoons of ghee
Salt and pepper

Method

In a deep pot, add one tablespoon of ghee or any oil of your choice and fry onions in it until translucent. Add grated ginger and stir. Once ginger releases its aroma, add turmeric, curry powder, and tomatoes. Stir. Add salt and pepper. Salt will help tomatoes release its water. Fry the tomatoes until fully dissolved and reduced. Add massour dal (drained) and stir until fully coated with the tomato sauce and oil. Add 2½ cups of water or stock. Stir and cover. Cook on medium-low heat. About 15–20 minutes later, stir the dal, adjust seasoning and cover again. This time you can further reduce the gas and cook for another 20 minutes.

Just before serving, tarka is added to the dal to amp up the taste. In a saucepan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of ghee and heat it up. Once hot, add chopped garlic, cumin, and chilli or chilli flakes. Fry until the garlic has turned light brown. Once garlic is light brown, carefully add this to the dal. You will notice a sizzling sound, and maybe some splashing so be careful. Stir the dal until tarka is fully incorporated.

Here is how I make basmati rice. I soak two cups of parboiled basmati rice in water half n hour or two hours prior to cooking. The longer you can the better. The first step of making basmati rice is exactly like pasta. Boil water, add salt to it and add the rice. Cook until the rice grains are soft. Once soft, drain rice in a colander and hold it under a tap of cold running water. This is done to stop the cooking process. Also, this step of running cold water helps prevent any clumps from forming in the rice. In the same pot used for boiling, add a little bit of olive oil and warm. Add rice and a bit of salt. Stir gently and even the top. Fold a clean kitchen towel over the lid of the pot, cover the pot and steam the rice on low heat for about 45 minutes. Serve with dal and a side of cooling yoghurt.