Recipe Masoor Dal

The OMWC

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Masoor Dal

Ingredients
2 lb masoor dal (red lentils)
2 yellow onions
2 tomatoes
25 g black mustard seeds
2 tbs turmeric
Oil
3 heaping tbs ginger garlic paste
2 tbs sambar powder plus 2 tbs rasam powder OR 4 tbs sambar poweder
Two to three bay leaves (depending on size)
Three handsful curry leaves
6 quarts water (variable)
Vegeta (variable)
2 lemons (variable)

Method
Rinse dal thoroughly in a strainer and remove any foreign matter. Let drain.

Dice onions and tomato.

Heat oil in pot over medium flame, add mustard seeds. When they splutter and you get the aroma, add onions. Stir and cook until onions are softened (not brown), then add ginger garlic paste. Stir for a few seconds until you smell it. Then add tomatoes and turmeric. Stir until tomatoes are starting to soften, then add the sambar/rasam, and again stir until you smell it. Now add drained dal, stir, then add water, curry leaves, and bay leaves.

Bring to a boil, simmer until lentils have turned yellow and are soft. Add water as needed if things start getting too thick and dry. Remove bay leaves, then whir a bit with the stick blender until most of the lentils are broken down. Add the Vegeta until salt balance seems almost right but slightly undersalted. Add lemon juice, which should brighten the flavor and bring the salt balance up to correct. Add Vegeta if it doesn’t.
 
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Vegeta

There's MSG and non-MSG versions. I strongly prefer the MSG one, but Morning Glory is proof that my taste isn't universal.:D
I don't do MSG either. It may be more a cultural thing. There are big issues with it in the UK back in the 80's(?) and I know with my family at least, it was a total no go from then on.
 
There are big issues with it in the UK back in the 80's(?) and I know with my family at least, it was a total no go from then on.
There was a lot of public panic about it starting in the late '60s. It turned out to be largely psychosomatic. Here's a good review article about it.
 

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There was a lot of public panic about it starting in the late '60s. It turned out to be largely psychosomatic. Here's a good review article about it.

Its not that with me. I can taste it straight away in anything and I find it takes over the flavour of a dish/sauce and mars any subtlety. I've occasionally bought ready made sauces (condiments) and had one taste to realise its got that flavour. It happened not long ago with some sriracha sauce.
 
Its not that with me. I can taste it straight away in anything and I find it takes over the flavour of a dish/sauce and mars any subtlety. I've occasionally bought ready made sauces (condiments) and had one taste to realise its got that flavour. It happened not long ago with some sriracha sauce.
Not an umami fan. :D
 
That´s almost a kilo of masoor dal - you obviously like it!!
I´ve eaten very simple masoor dal - with turmeric and very little else; masoor dal with a "tarka" to finish; more complex masoor dal, where there are other spices than turmeric.
Sambhar would make it sort or South Indian; and the addition of "rasam" spices (I imagine there´s chile and black pepper in that) would make it more South Indian again.
No idea what MSG would do to it, mind you, because I never use it.
 
Maybe it was for the café - I think The OMWC has a café (apologies if I got that wrong).
Yes to both. :D I get to be both a scientist and a chef at this stage of my life. The university lab I work in is about 150 meters from the back door of Terra Cotta Coffee.
 
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