Let’s Cook: Masoor Dal

by RogerSeptember 13, 2022

Title card for episode showing bowl of masoor dal.

Hot days give way to cool evenings as the season transitions from summer to autumn. It’s the perfect time for a light comfort dish. Today we are heading to the kitchen to cook a favorite North Indian dish of red lentils, onions, tomatoes and spices called Masoor Dal. The recipe is simple enough to make on a weeknight and the bright spices will warm you up on a brisk fall day.

Mentioned in this Episode

The recipe I am cooking in this episode is from Dassana’s Veg Recipes, and this specific recipe is her “Easy Masoor Dal.” Dassana has a great variety of vegetarian Indian dishes, and many of them are relatively simple for home cooks to pull off.

This recipe will call for a few ingredients that may or may not be readily available in your area. If you have access to a good local Indian market they would surely have most, if not all, of the ingredients you need. Otherwise you can grab some of the following online:

Split red or pink lentils. You should be able to find these in well-stocked grocery stores, but if not, these Anthony Organic Red Lentils will work great.

Kasuri methi are dried fenugreek leaves. They are a widely-used ingredient in Indian cuisines and add a unique flavor that is hard to replicate.

Hing, also known as asafetida, is another unique ingredient you likely won’t find at your local supermarket. As the name suggests, asafetida carries a strong aroma of fetid garlic and packs a big umami punch.

Garam masala is something you should be able to find without much trouble, but just in case, you can find that online too. If you don’t want to fuss with all that, you can substitute in a combination of ground cumin and ground allspice.