Enjoy this delicious & healthy Whole Masoor Dal, also known as Brown Lentils Curry, made in the Instant Pot or Stovetop Pressure Cooker. Vegan & Gluten Free.
Whole Masoor Dal is also popularly known as Brown Lentils or Sabut Masoor ki Dal. These are basically whole red lentils which are popular all over the world.
We make this Whole Masoor Dal very often for dinner. It goes perfectly with rice, naan or roti/paratha. This dal can be made in the instant pot or a stovetop pressure cooker. I love the convenience of making lentils in a pressure cooker, as they cook so quickly and are almost hands free.
If you are new to the instant pot, check out this quick setup guide.
What are lentils?
Lentils, also known as Dal or Dhal are a mini legumes. They are a good source of protein, fiber and minerals.
There are many varieties of lentils such as yellow (moong and toor), green (moong), red (masoor), brown (whole masoor) and black (urad) lentils.
Whole Masoor Dal / Brown Lentil Nutrition
These lentils are a rich source of dietary fiber and 11 grams of protein. They contain nine essential amino acids, which makes them a popular source of protein for a plant based diet.
Brown lentils hold their shape well while cooking. After cooking, brown lentils have a wonderful creamy texture. Brown lentils are also easy to cook and make a great main dish such as a curry, stews or soup.
How to make Whole Masoor Dal in Instant Pot?
Let’s start with gathering the ingredients. I use brown lentils, onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, green chili pepper and spices to make the dal.
- Rinse the brown lentils in water and chop the ingredients. You do not need to soak these lentils.
- Heat the instant pot in Sauté mode and add oil to it.
- Then add cumin seeds, onions, ginger and garlic. Saute for about 2-3 minutes.
- Then add tomatoes and spices. Stir and sauté for another 2 minutes.
- Now we are ready to add the lentils and water. Then pressure cook for 12 minutes at high pressure.
- After the cooking time is done, let the pressure release naturally. If you are in a hurry, you can also release pressure manually 10 minutes after the instant pot beeps.
Stir in the lime juice and garnish with cilantro.
Oh…the lentils are perfectly cooked and so creamy!
How to make Whole Masoor Dal in Stovetop Pressure Cooker?
Traditionally, lentils were first boiled in a pressure cooker and then mixed with tempering (tadka) made in a fry pan. However this recipe makes Whole Masoor Dal as a one-pot recipe.
Follow the same steps as above. In the stovetop pressure cooker, cook for 3-4 whistles (about 12 minutes) and let the pressure release naturally.
Enjoy Whole Masoor Dal with Basmati Rice, Roti/Paratha or Naan.
We like to pair Masoor Dal with a vegetable stir fry along with the rice on the side. Some options for stir fry vegetables that would go well with this dal – Aloo Gobi, Bhindi Masala (Okra) or Cabbage Peas.
You will love this Brown Lentil Curry:
√ It is easy to make and healthy
√ Uses simple ingredients that you will have in your pantry.
√ Vegan and Gluten free
√ Creamy and delicious, perfect to serve over rice!
Check out more lentil recipes I have posted in the past:
Whole Masoor Dal Recipe (Brown Lentils Curry)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Ghee or Oil
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1 Green chili pepper, optional
- 1 cup Onions, diced
- 1/2 tablespoon Garlic, minced
- 1/2 tablespoon Ginger , grated
- 1 cup Tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup Brown lentils (Whole Masoor Dal), rinsed
- 2 1/2 cups Water
- 1 tablespoon Lime juice
- Cilantro , to garnish
Spices
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon Red Chili powder (Mirchi powder), adjust to taste, I used mild Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon Salt , adjust to taste
Instructions
- Start the pressure cooker in sauté mode and let it heat. Add oil and cumin seeds. Saute for 30 seconds.
- When the cumin seeds change color, add green chili, onions, ginger and garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes until the onions become golden brown while stirring frequently.
- Add tomato and spices. Stir and sauté for another 2 minutes.
- Add the lentils, water and stir well. Press cancel and close lid with vent in sealing position.
- Change the instant pot setting to manual or pressure cook mode at high pressure for 12 mins. After the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally.
- Open the pot. Add the lime juice and stir the dal.
- Garnish with cilantro. Serve dal with roti, naan or rice.
For stovetop pressure cooker
- Follow the same steps as above. Cook for 3-4 whistles (about 12 minutes) and let the pressure release naturally.
For stovetop in a pan
- Follow the same steps until adding the lentis, and water. Add 1/2 cup more water. Cook on stovetop partly covered for 30-35 minutes until the lentils are cooked and soft. You might have to add more water as it evaporates in the pan.
Video
Fantastic. I doubled the recipe, used jalapeño for the chilies, hot paprika for the chili powder and cooked a full lb of lentils. I don’t have an IP but have a ninja foodi and followed the cook time in the booklet for lentils. 5 minute pressure cook on LO with 10 minute natural release followed by a quick release. Worked perfectly. Thank you!
Hi Mike – That’s awesome to hear! I’m glad the Ninja Foodi method worked well for you. Enjoy your flavorful meal!
This was DELICIOUS! We were trying to use up the odds and ends in the pantry and had a forgotten bag of lentils that were begging for dal. This was so easy and tasty. We threw in some baby spinach at the end, topped with greek yogurt, and wiped the dishes clean with naan. A winner!
Hi Beth – Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
So flavorful and easy. I used a little cayenne powder in place of red chili powder/green chili and had heavy hand with the other spices. The lime at the end was perfect (skipped the cilantro because I was out of that). Served over rice. This was my first time making lentils in my IP—what a great recipe to start with! Thank you
Hi Amy- So happy to hear that. 😀
I love this recipe, but cooking for my young grandchildren, I left the chili’s out. they liked it well enough to ask for seconds. a bit of rice, some dahl, Palau paneer with homemade paneer made for a delicious trip to a land far away from Alaska. your recipes are a hit
gunalchéesh
Hi – So happy to hear that. Thank you for sharing 😀
I made it just as the recipe states except I used 1 jalapeño without the seeds. It is very good, but does have a little too much “nutmeg” type flavor for me. I’ll still definitely try again and adjust the spices.
Hi Melanie – Thanks for sharing your feedback. I am not sure what would have given the nutmeg-like flavor; maybe the cumin seeds? Do try adjusting any spices. I hope you enjoy it again.
Excellent flavor and not too complicated to make!
Hi Iris – Glad you enjoyed the dal!
This is the most delicious brown lentil recipe I have ever made. The red lentil version of this is the most delicious red lentil recipe I’ve ever made. I’m going to be going through this website cooking everything here!!
Hi Heather – So happy to hear you are enjoying the recipes. Thank you for sharing back!