Musur Dal Bengali
Red lentil dal with tomato and Bengali five-spice tempering. Cooks in minutes — the fastest everyday dal in Bengali kitchens.
Ingredients
Garnish
- Coriander Leaves (optional) (garnish) — 2 tbsp (chopped)
Main
- onion — 100 g (chopped)
- Tomato — 100 g (chopped)
- Masoor Dal — 250 g (whole)
- Turmeric Powder — 0.5 tsp (ground)
- salt (optional) (whole)
- Garlic — 1 tsp (ground)
- Red Chilli Powder (Lal Mirch) — 1 tsp (ground)
- Ginger — 1 tsp (ground)
Tempering
- Mustard Oil — 2 tbsp (whole)
- Cumin Seeds — 1 tsp (whole)
Method
- Wash the masoor dal well and pressure cook it with turmeric powder, chopped tomato and enough water for 3 whistles till fully soft.
- Mash the cooked dal lightly to a smooth consistency and keep aside.
- Heat the mustard oil in a small pan till it smokes lightly, then lower the heat and add the cumin seeds and let them splutter.
- Add the chopped onion, ginger and garlic to the tempering and saute till the onion turns golden.
- Add the red chilli powder and immediately pour this tempering over the cooked dal.
- Add salt and enough water to adjust the dal to a pourable, thin gravy consistency, then bring it to a brief boil for 3 to 4 minutes so the flavours combine.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with steamed rice, the classic Bengali way.
Common questions
- How many calories in one plate of Musur Dal Bengali?
- 307 kcal per plate.
- How much cooking time?
- 20 min — 5 min prep, 15 min cooking.