Spicy Masoor (Red Lentil) Dal.

"Spicy Masoor (Red Lentil) Dal" … Lunch / Dinner is incomplete without dal in Indian homes, specially when there is rice to relish … Masoor dal is one of our favorite dals in my home after dalitoy off course, but it does goes well with spicy rice ~ moong dal khichidi (Pongal) or mildly spiced pulav … Yummmm …. 

** Masoor Dal or Red Lentils is a dal famous all round the world. It cooks fast and can be relished with any dish of your choice. It can be served with rice while the same tastes great if made into thick dal fry. By and large Tuvar / Toor dal is a dal that is consumed by all Indians and relished in many ways during lunch / dinner time. But there are other lentils by which dals can be prepared too and I am game to all of them. I like varieties of dals with my rice and prepare different one’s as and when possible though dalitoy (prepared from tuvar dal) our own amchi style of spiced dal remains the most favorite of all times. I have already given in detail about Dalitoy a very favorite dal of Konkani Saraswat, without which no function meal is complete. 

** There are homes where dal is cooked on daily basis too, despite preparing numerous other dishes.  I grew up having dal for meals everyday. We must have our dal, otherwise I guess there is no satisfaction. Well, today I prepared dal out of masoor ie red lentils another dal dish that my hubby loves. Most of the time I use these lentils for preparing dal fry, but sometimes I do prepare dal out of the same. The method is same as of dalitoy, but with a slight variation. Some spice powders are added on as masoor by itself is slightly sweetish in taste and we like our dal spicier. This dal is somewhat relished thicker in consistency similar to that of our own varan / varna. It tastes better that way. Here is the simple recipe for Masoor dal, the way I cook in my home. 

** Ingredients : 

Masoor (Red Lentil) Dal : 1 cup 

Green Chillies : 4-5 (less spicy one) 

Salt to taste 

** For Tempering : 

Ghee / Oil : 2 tblsp 

Mustard Seeds / Rai / Sasam : ½ tsp 

Jeera / Cumin Seeds : ¼ tsp 

Haldi Powder : a pinch. 

Jeera / Cumin Powder : a pinch 

Red Chilly Powder : a pinch 

Hing / Asafoetida : 2 tblsp if using prepared hing water 

OR 

1 tsp if powder to be added, but use it while tempering. 

Curry leaves : 8-10 fresh 

** For Serving : A quarter piece of fresh lemon per person. 

** Wash masoor dal / red lentils and put it in a pressure cooker with 2 cups of water. Pressure cook the dal on medium heat to 3 whistles. Let the pressure fall on it own. When able to open the lid, remove the dal into a thick bottomed vessel. 

** Add in 1 cup of water to the dal and mix well. Churn the dal to get a smooth dal of required consistency. The consistency of the dal should be a little bit thicker than dalitoy, say the texture of thick varan / varna. 

** Add green chillies to the dal slit lengthwise. Add salt to taste and bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for a while. 

** If using prepared hing water, add it to the simmering dal. Check at the bottom of the recipe for the method of preparing hing water. 

** For Tempering : Heat ghee / oil in a small pan, when hot add in the mustard seeds, when they begin to splutter, add in the jeera and fry for a second. Now add in all the powders along with curry leaves and fry just for a second. 

** Do not burn the masala, so be careful and keep the heat low. Pour the tempering immediately over the simmering dal. Remove and keep aside covered for 15 minutes before serving, for the flavours to get well immersed in dal. 

** Note : Add in hing powder, if adding powder only, but if you have added in prepared hing water to the dal while cooking do not add the hing again in seasoning. 

** "Spicy Masoor (Red Lentil) Dal" is done ready to be served. Always serve the Dal steaming hot with rice and other dishes along with a piece of quartered lemon. The lemon is served in the plate and should be freshly squeezed and added on while enjoying the rice then and there. Goes well with moong dal ~ rice spicy khichidi or even mildly spiced pulavs. This is a dal that can be prepared and relished all round the year with any side dishes of your choice. Do prepare this fresh to always enjoy the awesome aromatic taste of the dal and enjoy with your family and friends. 

** Prepared Hing Water : Hing water is prepared by putting a small marble sized gummy hing (available in South Indian Stores) into a glass bottle and adding about a small cup of boiled and cooled water to it. Within a few hours the hing will slowly melt and you will get a thick whitish liquid. This is hing water. You can keep this in the fridge and use sparingly as and when needed. We GSB / Saraswat Konkani people usually prepare the same and keep it in the fridge always and use the same for dal, patrado or any other hummana etc. 

** An Earnest Request : There are many more recipes of similar type in the blog. For all my Recipes, use the search option or the label section in the Blog. If you are still not able to find it please leave a message in comment section or mail me the same. You can also go to my page (add on the left side of blog) and leave a message and I will try my best to get back to you as soon as possible … Thank you. I have also started a food group for "Konkani Saraswats" by the name "KONKANI DELICACIES" the link of which is posted on the left side of the blog page. Do join us in our culinary journey. I strongly believe in Sharing and always endorse that "Sharing Is Caring".