My Favorite Simple Red Lentil Dahl Recipe

This is the simplest lentil dahl recipe I know of, and the one I make most often. It’s a very popular Indian dish; comforting and gentle, and packed with plant-based protein. It uses just a handful of basic ingredients and Indian spices. If you keep a well-stocked spice pantry you’ve probably got everything you need already.

Dahl is way up there in my list of healthy recipes for meal prep, because it freezes like a dream in an airtight container. It’s equally at home as the star of dinner with basmati rice or naan bread, or as a side dish to an Indian meat or vegetable main.

Using red lentils to make this masoor dal recipe makes it smooth and soft in texture. Fresh ginger perfumes the dahl and a ‘temper’ of oil and spices gets added after cooking. The temper adds a completely different toasty element that you won’t get if you add the spices before cooking.

ingredients for red lentil dahl recipe laid out on a gray concrete background. A white saucepan of water is visible, surrounded by small dishes of oil, cumin seeds, turmeric, salt, cayenne, coriander, ginger, garlic and lentils.

What kind of lentils should you use in dahl recipes?

I use dried red lentils for this easy lentil dahl recipe. If you don’t have red lentils, you can use other types of lentils, like yellow chana and moong dal, with success.

Don’t use green lentils or brown lentils for a dahl recipe, as the skins on those don’t allow the dahl to break down and soften.

How to cook my lentil dahl recipe

Wash and drain the lentils, and pick over to remove any little stones or discolored lentils. Then combine the lentils with water. Don’t be tempted to use vegetable broth for lentil dishes, it’s not necessary and salted broth can stop your lentils from softening.

a hand pours dried red lentils into a white saucepan of water, for cooking a simple lentil dahl recipe

Steam or boil the lentils with ginger until soft, then add salt and turmeric. The cooking time will vary depending on how old and dry your lentils are; anywhere from a half hour up to 1 1/2 hours is normal. Start with the amount of liquid given in the recipe, and if the lentils get too dry you can always add more.

To finish this red lentil dal recipe, we’ll add something common to many Indian recipes; a temper of oil and aromatic spices.

a white saucepan viewed from above, containing oil, cumin seeds, sliced garlic and ground spices to make a temper for lentil dahl.

To make the temper, heat vegetable oil or ghee in a small pan over medium heat, and quickly fry cumin seeds, coriander and cayenne pepper. These spices are all common to Indian cuisine and turn a simple dish into something very special. Garlic in the temper is non traditional but I love it; a true Masoor dal would use asafoetida instead.

The hot oil and spices are poured straight into the freshly cooked lentils, giving a heady aroma and flavor to the dish. Served with rice or flatbreads, it’s a hearty and inexpensive vegan dinner; add it to a meat or vegetable main to turn it into the most worthy of side dishes.

a bowl of simple red lentil dahl sits on a white ceramic dish, with a large silver serving spoon next to it. There are leafy greens and a cream napkin next to the dishes.

I hope you love this lentil dahl recipe as much as I do. It’s a freezer staple here and my favorite way to prepare lentils. Try it next time you want a warming vegetarian stew dish on hand, ready to heat and eat for lunch.

Love lentils? Here are some other delicious lentil recipes!

These are my favorite free lentil recipes from the site,

Arabic Lentil Soup Recipe with Red Lentils and Vegetables

Festive Lentil, Grain and Herb Salad with Orange

Jamie Oliver’s Beef Kofta Curry in the Steam Oven

Stuffed Eggplant in the Steam Oven

If you are a Steam Oven Insider member, you can also find out more about cooking lentils in this article How to Steam Lentils.

a white ceramic bowl of yellow and orange red lentil dahl, viewed from above, with a silver serving spoon, cloth napkin and leafy greens pictured alongside the bowl.

Red Lentil Dahl with Cumin Seeds (Masoor Dal)

This lentil dahl recipe uses red lentils, which are actually orange but turn to a dull yellow color when cooked. I love lentil dahl served over rice as a main meal, but it's also a great side to Indian meat or vegetable dishes.

Print Recipe

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 30

Total Time1 40

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: lentil dahl recipe, lentil dal, masoor dal, red lentil dahl

Servings: as a main

Calories: 168kcal

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Ingredients

1 cup red lentils picked over, washed and drained
3 cups water
2 slices ginger unpeeled, about 1/8" (4mm) thick
1 tsp ground turmeric
3/4 tsp fine salt
3 Tbsp vegetable oil or ghee
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds whole
1 clove garlic chopped, optional (see notes); or use asafoetida
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper adjust to taste if you like it less or more spicy
1/2 bunch cilantro (coriander), roughly chopped to make about 1/3 cup loosely packed chopped volume

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Stovetop Method

Put the lentils and water into a deep pot and bring to a simmer. Scoop off any scum that's formed on the top, then add the ginger and turmeric and stir.
1 cup red lentils, 3 cups water, 2 slices ginger, 1 tsp ground turmeric
Cover the pot, turn the heat to very low and simmer gently until the lentils are soft and tender, about 1 1/2 hours. During the last half hour, you'll need to stir frequently so the lentils don't catch on the bottom of the pot. You may need to add up to a cup of extra water to loosen the consistency.
When the lentils are done, remove the ginger slices and add the salt. Stir and check seasoning; you may wish to add a little more salt to taste.
3/4 tsp fine salt
To finish the dish, put the oil in a pan over medium heat, adding the cumin seeds and garlic once the oil is hot. Let them sizzle for a few seconds, then add the ground coriander and cayenne, and take the pan off the heat. Swirl to combine everything, then pour the entire contents of the pan into the lentils. Stir to combine.
3 Tbsp vegetable oil, 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1 clove garlic, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Serve the red lentil dahl with fresh cilantro/coriander leaves sprinkled over the top.
1/2 bunch cilantro

Steam Oven Method

Put the lentils, water, ginger and turmeric into a shallow stainless steel pan and put into your steam oven. Set the oven to Steam, 212°F/100°C and cook until the lentils are soft and broken down, about 1-1 1/2 hours.
1 cup red lentils, 3 cups water, 2 slices ginger, 1 tsp ground turmeric
When the lentils are done, remove the ginger slices and add the salt. Stir and check seasoning; you may wish to add a little more salt to taste.
3/4 tsp fine salt
To finish the dish, put the oil in a pan over medium heat, adding the cumin seeds and garlic once the oil is hot. Let them sizzle for a few seconds, then add the ground coriander and cayenne, and take the pan off the heat. Swirl to combine everything, then pour the entire contents of the pan into the lentils. Stir to combine.
3 Tbsp vegetable oil, 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1 clove garlic, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Serve the red lentil dahl with fresh cilantro/coriander leaves sprinkled over the top.
1/2 bunch cilantro

Notes

Strictly speaking, this is not Masoor dal if you add the garlic; the recipe would traditionally use asafoetida. That can be hard to get in some parts of the world, though Indian grocers everywhere will stock it. I use garlic because I always have it on hand and I’m not observing the cultural or religious requirements which require me not to eat garlic/onions. If you are concerned about this, by all means leave the garlic out or replace it with a pinch of asafoetida instead.