Brown Lentils (Whole Masoor Dal)

Brown Lentils also known as Whole Masoor Dal are cooked with onions, tomatoes and spices for a healthy, hearty and comforting meal. Made in the most simplest way with pantry staples, this dish is packed with plenty of flavors and texture, that your whole family will love. It is gluten-free and vegan, if you cook with oil. Brown Lentils pair beautifully with steamed rice, couscous, millets, quinoa or with flatbreads.

About Brown Lentils

Brown Lentils are nutty, earthy and meaty in taste, making them a great choice to cook with plenty of spices. Like my Red Lentil Curry, this recipe is also very easy to make and turns out delicious. I am sharing the basic everyday recipe, without using a lot of fancy ingredients.

There are many different kinds of brown lentils, Whole Masoor Dal also known as Sabut Masoor is one of them. These are hulled to get red lentils, if hulled & split they are split red lentils. Not all kinds of brown lentils have a red interior.

This kind of Brown Lentils with a red interior are also known as Indian Brown Lentils. The nutty and earthy flavors come from the brown skin which is also rich in fiber and other nutrients. This kind of lentils also taste pleasant and more flavorful due to the red interior.

While you can always make this dish with only brown lentils, I prefer adding a small portion of red lentils along with brown. When you cook them together, brown lentils will stay intact and red lentils will break down completely creating a more saucy dish. This also adds up to the flavors.

I am showing how to cook brown lentils from scratch in a pot on the stovetop, but you can also make this dish in a Instant pot or stovetop pressure cooker reading the pressure cooker section below. Take a look at these faqs and the pro tips section below if you are new to cooking lentils.

FAQs

How to cook Brown Lentils (Stepwise Photos)

To cook this in an instant pot or stovetop pressure cooker, scroll down to the next section below. This recipe serves 4, you may halve the ingredients to make 2 servings or double for 8 servings.

Preparation

1. You will need 1 cup brown lentils (whole masoor dal) and ½ cup red lentils. You may leave out the red lentils or replace them with other kind of split lentils. Read my pro tips section below for that.

2. Add them to a large bowl and rinse very well at least thrice. Pour 4 cups water. If you don’t use red lentils cut down the water to 3 cups.

3. Bring to a rolling boil on a high heat and reduce to medium. Optionally you may skim the froth and discard.

4. Cook until tender, for 20 to 25 mins. You don’t need to stand around looking for the lentils to finish. Leave your spoon in the pot to prevent overflowing. We are looking for the red lentils to break down completely and the brown lentils to remain in shape.

Old lentils may take longer to cook and may require more water. It took me only 25 mins.

5. Meanwhile prepare the following:

• Fine chop 1 medium onion to make 1 cup
• Peel and mince 1 inch ginger to make 1 tablespoon mince
• Peel and mince 4 medium garlic cloves to make 1 tablespoon mince
• Fine chop 2 medium tomatoes to make 1½ cup (I also peel and deseed)
• Fine chop handful of coriander leaves/cilantro with tender stalks to make ¼ cup (divided, reserve some leaves to garnish)

6. Set aside these spices:

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (+ 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, optional)
• 3 dried red chilies (deseeded or ½ tsp chili flakes)
• ¼ teaspoon organic ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder (adjust to taste, more if you want, cut down for kids)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt (more to adjust)
• 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri methi, omit if you don’t have)
• 1 tablespoon amchur (dried mango powder, omit to use canned tomatoes or use lemon juice to serve)
• 1 teaspoon garam masala (more if you want, adjust to taste)
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder + ½ teaspoon cumin powder (both optional)

7. This is the perfect consistency of lentils for this dish. The whole brown lentils are intact but fully tender and the red lentils are broken down.

Temper the Lentils

8. On a medium flame, heat 2 to 3 ghee/ oil in a large pan/pot. When it is medium hot, add cumin and fennel seeds, followed by dried red chilies. If you want to use chili flakes, use them later along with ground spices.

9. When they begin to sizzle and the chilies turn crisp (not burnt), add onions. Saute until light golden for 5 to 6 mins. Stir in ginger garlic and coriander leaves & stems (reserve some to garnish).

10. Saute till aromatic for 1 to 2 mins.

11. Stir in turmeric, salt, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder (optional) and garam masala.

12. Add the tomatoes and deglaze by pouring ¼ cup water.

13. Cook until the tomatoes break down completely.

14. Add the cooked lentils along with the liquid in the pot and mix well. Pour hot water as needed (about ½ cup or as needed) and bring to a boil. You may need more or less water, I have mentioned what works for me.

15. Simmer for 5 minutes until thick and traces of fats visible on top. Optionally mash the lentils a bit, for a thicker & creamy consistency. Stir in amchur powder & fenugreek leaves.

16. Taste test and more salt, chili flakes or garam masala as needed. This is the consistency.

Serve brown lentils, with a garnish of coriander leaves. Squeeze some lemon juice if you want. Serve it with a side of cucumber salad, quinoa, rice, millets, couscous or flatbreads.

Pro Tips

• Split Lentils: You can use other split lentils like split pigeon peas (toor dal) or yellow moong dal. With this change, you need to soak them for at least 45 mins in hot water else the consistency won’t be the same.
• If you prefer to omit the split lentils, cut down the water to 3 cups. Also cut down the spices like chili. You can also double the red lentils, use more water and bit more spices to adjust the flavors.
• Red Chilies: The smokiness of the dried red chilies compliment the nutty and earthy aroma of brown lentils. If you do not have them, you may replace with chili flakes. Add them at a later stage with the other ground spices. The other option is to use green chilies.
• For a complete meal, add veggies like carrots, butternut squash, pumpkin or leafy greens like spinach.
• Creamy: You can make this creamy by adding coconut milk, cream, yogurt etc. For a nutty flavor, stir in some nut or seed butter.

Pressure Cooker Brown Lentils

• Instant Pot : To make this in an instant pot, start with the tempering on a saute mode. Add the washed and drained lentils, pour 3¼ to ½ cups water and pressure cook for 10 mins. Let pressure drop naturally and add the amchur and kasuri methi. If it is too thick add a splash of hot water and make the tadka. Tested in a 6 qts and 3 qts cooker (14 mins pressure cook time). If using canned tomatoes, it may take longer. If you don’t use red lentils, use 2½ cups water.
• Stovetop Pressure Cooker: Make the tempering and saute onions tomatoes in the pressure cooker. Add lentils and pour 3¼ cups and pressure cook for 3 whistles on a medium heat. If you don’t use red lentils, use only 2¾ cups water.

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