Sabut masoor ki daal. How to make Sabut Masoor , Whole Masoor ki Dal. Brown Lentil Soup with Indian spices. Easy weeknight dal. Pressure cook or cook in saucepan.
Mom’s Dals always taste a bit different that mine. Even if we both make the exact same measurement recipe. This summer when Mom was visiting, I watched her like a hawk to figure out what gives. Mom always cooks with leisure and love. Everything will be cooked just the right amount that she likes, no hurry, no burning, simmered instead of high heat cooking and kept simple with just a few spices. So today I have a Lentil Dal (Sabut Masoor) recipe we both make almost the same way. This is Mom’s version that is cooked with leisure, each step gets as much attention and love and the lentils are cooked till they are soft and easily dissolve. Some of the lentils dissolve into the soup to make a thick creamy dal. Try this with brown lentils, Indian brown (whole red, Sabut Masoor) or other lentils. For Indian Dals, mushy lentils are the preferred dal consistency. Cook a few minutes less to preferred cooked lentil texture.
Serve as is like a soup or with flatbread or rice. Pictured with Gobi Aloo Mutter – Spiced Cauliflower Potatoes peas. Lentil Dals are comfort food for me. Warming, earthy, flavorful and filling. This is a simple flavorful Dal. Change up the spices for variation. Add some veggies in while cooking. Let me know if you try this easy Dal.
More Dals and Soups from the blog. And there 25+ options in my book.
- Restaurant Style Dal Fry
- Easy Chana Dal Recipe. Split Chickpea Soup
- Kashmiri Dal – Split Pea & Yellow Lentil Soup
- Dal Tadka Mix in a Jar. Pink Lentil soup in a Jar.
- Oil free Lentil Soup. Spicy Garlic Dal
Sabut Masoor Ki Daal - Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (144 g) lentils wash and soak for atleast half an hour
- 1 tsp oil
- 3/4 tsp (0.75 tsp) Cumin seeds
- 1 tsp Black mustard seeds
- a generous pinch of asafetida omit to make gluten-free
- 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 1 inch ginger finely chopped
- 1 to 2 hot green chilies finely chopped
- 3/4 cup (120 g) onion finely chopped about 1/2 of a large onion
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) turmeric
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) garam masala
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne or add later to preference
- 1 large tomato chopped small
- 3/4 to 1 tsp salt or to preference
- 2.5 cups (625 ml) water
- cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- In a pressure cooker or a saucepan, add oil and heat over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Let the mustard seeds begin to pop. Depending on the pan and stove it can take 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the asafetida and mix in. Add garlic, ginger, chili and onions and mix. Cook for a minute. Add a pinch of salt and mix in, reduce heat to low-medium and continue to cook until the onions and garlic are golden brown. Stir occasionally. Lower the heat if the onions start to brown too quickly. All of the onion and garlic should get golden, and the onion pieces will reduce in size. a patient 8 to 9 minutes.
- Add in the ground spices and mix in. Cook for 15 seconds. Add the tomatoes and a splash of water. Cover, increase heat to medium and cook until the tomatoes are saucy. 6 to 7 minutes. Stir once and mash the larger pieces.
- Drain the lentils that have been soaking, and add to the pan. Add water and salt and mix in.
- Pressure Cook/Instant pot: Close the lid and cook for 12 to 13 minutes at high pressure. ( 2 whistles over high heat, them simmer for 10 minutes over low heat). This will make mushy lentils.
- Saucepan: Cover and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve.
Sonali
Hi Richa, thank you for sharing this recipe! If we’re making this in an Instant Pot should we quickly release the pressure after 12-13 minutes of cooking or allow for natural pressure release? Thanks!
Richa
Natural release
Sonali
Thank you! It came out amaaaazing. I had a strong craving for daal but I had never made it before and my mom is in India for the next few weeks. This totally hit the spot 🙂
Vegan Richa Support
awwww that’s sweet – maybe she’ll like it upon her return
Lilly
hi I am unsure which lentils to buy for this, please could you tell me thank you so much
Richa
Brown or green lentils
Katharina
This is my favorite recipe for sabut masoor dal. It always turns out great and is super delicious.
Richa
yay!
Brian
Hi Richa,
Thanks for all the info. We’ve recently ‘gone’ vegan and are finding your website a boon! However, we live in France and are having trouble translating some of the lentils into what we see on the shelves. We’ve obviously got to grips with red lentils (lentille corail) and I’m making this recipe with ‘lentilles blondes’ today. The French have their lentilles de Puy, which are green, do these correspond to anything you know?
Anyway, early days. Any help would be appreciated. I’ll continue to research, happy to post anything interesting.
Thanks again for the great website… will buy your book next UK visit.
Richa
See my Indian Dals page for pictures and corresponding English names. You can generally use green lentils as a sub for brown. https://www.veganricha.com/indian-dals-names
Leslie
This has to be one of my favorite recipes that I’ve made of yours. I doubled the batch, and now I wish I’d tripled it. Next time . . .
Thank you mother for the wisdom behind the recipe. It’s love in every spoonful.
Richa
Thanks! <3
Dan
Hey richa,
Love your recipes and they have all turned out great for me so far. I did try this one with aloo gobi mutter and also punjab dal fry on the weekend though and they came out a bit bland im trying to work out where I went wrong. The cooking times tended to be longer then prescribed but other then that I read and followed the recipies carefully. The seeds and spices always smell amazing when putting them in but the end result isnt there. I taste as I go but I often found myself at a loss as to what to add. Any advice would be greatly appreciated keep up the great work.
Richa
It could be the cooking time. Whole spices have be tempered well for them to release the flavor into the oil and which then infuses the food. When the oil is not hot or the spices are not cooked long enough they stay somewhat raw and add less flavor to the dish. You might get some bursts of flavor when you get the seeds, but otherwise not. You want them to sizzle and pop. It could be salt. The right amount of salt brings out the flavors a lot. They can go from subtle to intense. Add more if needed. It also could be just an expectation difference. Everyday Indian food is simple with simple flavors while celebratory food or restaurant style sauces and curries and complex flavored and meant to be rich and extra flavorful. I grew up with these simple flavors and appreciate the balance there which just about enhances the overall dal. But for someone who is not eating indian food every day, the expectation might be for a bigger flavor payoff. For that, add more of the whole spices and finish the dal in the end with some fresh garam masala, some vegan butter, some cayenne or smoked paprika. Hope this helps.
Rachel
Richa, I made both the Sabut Masoor in my pressure cooker as well as the Gobi Aloo Mutter – it was by far the best Indian food I’ve made at home so far. Thanks for your wonderful recipes! Can’t wait to buy your book 🙂
Richa
Awesome!
Marlene
Hi. I couldn’t understand when i read about drain the lentil to a pan. I speech Spanish, so i do not understand what happen in rubber moment i have to drain the lentil what happen there? I have all the ingredients but before i would like to ask. Thank you. Marlene
Richa
Hi Marlene, The lentils were soaking in water. See the ingredients where it says lentils are washed and soaked in water for half an hour. So drain the water they were soaking in and then add to the pan.
Lynda Haake
I tried this recipe and the Aloo Gobi Mutter recipe and they were both delicious! Especially the Aloo Gobi Mutter with Peas. Wonderful blend of spices. Thanks!
Richa
Thats awesome! so glad you loved them!
Ana @ Ana's Rocket Ship
I think that I’m going to have to make this for my Mom next time I’m home with her. She loves South Asian food – and I’m sure that this will be no exception!
Ruth
Hi, this looks great> Just wondering if the pressure cooker instructions are for an Instant Pot? Thanks, I just got one and was looking for good vegan recipes for it. Cheers!
Richa
Hi Ruth, yes the time mentioned 12-13 minutes at high are for any pressure cookers including instant pot which need a time. for IP it would be 12 minutes manual setting at hi. The time can change depending on the lentils you use, and your personal preference of how you like the lentils. Indian dals/lentils are generally overcooked, so you can cook a few minutes less if you like your lentils whole and not too soft/mushy.
Nonnee
Very good. The whole family loved it even the kids. The next time we made it we took a cup of the dal and blended it until smooth then added back. It made it so creamy and delicious.
Richa
Awesome!
Nina
I know what you mean, cause that is kind of what I do 😉 , but I will better myself hah 😀
Richa
you are not alone. i do that often too 🙂 thats why watching mom cook is such an amazing experience.
Nina
I made this tonight and tried to cook with love and leisure 😀 ( and patience ). I made the avocado naan from your cookbook to eat with it. Both turned out great and my husband and I enjoyed it very much. Guess I am getting back on track 🙂 finally!
Richa
yay!! you just have to let it cook without standing over the pan telling the onions to cook faster 🙂 Let the veggies and lentils take their time and let them tell you when they are done.
Kristen
Made it today, and it was delicious!
Richa
Awesome!!
Brendan In Toronto,Canada
Hi Richa,
Just made the Brown Chickpea Curry from your book. I will be eating it for lunch next week, and sharing, since I made 1/2 more than the recipe called for. My co-workers and boss love getting free lunches from me, and I have made a curry lover out of them! Last week, a science show that airs here in Canada, focused on gut microbes, gut health, and food choices that promote a healthy weight. Fibre came up as being the overlooked factor when considering the average North American’s diet. Well, your Brown Chickpea curry is loaded with fibre. A study happening here in Ontario, is proving that mice who eat chickpea pellets as part of their diet, do not gain weight like the non-legume fed mice. https://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/ (You can watch the show online.)
One last thing: I put some Opa! Greek Yogurt ranch salad dressing on the Split Pea Soup With Potatoes, made last weekend. The dressing really kicked it up a notch! Very yummy! Your cookbook rocks! Cheers! Brendan
wanderlustvegan
Hi Brendan, I am sure you have done this without thinking about it, but you have come onto a vegan recipe, on a vegan blog talking about animal testing (something all vegans are against) and are promoting eating this with yogurt. I’m only commenting because you probably aren’t aware that this is offensive.
IR
It’s nice your mom cooks in a relaxing manner =). There’s always something special about mom’s dishes! This looks delicious!
susan
This looks so yummy, Richa, just like all of your recipes. Perfect weather today to make this dish- thank you!
Richa
thanks!
Laurie
I would love to make this tonight but only have yellow mustard seeds. Can I use yellow instead of black mustard seeds in this? Would the amount be the same?
Richa
yes you can use yellow mustard seeds. use the same amount
Monica
Hi Richa, by pure luck I found your website, went out the next day and bought your cookbook and can’t tell you how excited I am to try your recipes. I have been a vegetarian for 23 years and a vegan close to a year. Indian food has always been my favourite! I love your book and can’t wait to try all the recipes. I am excited everyday to look at your website! So thrilled I found you!
Richa
Yay! i am so glad you found me too! <3 <3 . Thank you for getting my book!
Sue
Richa, the look of this, and your words, make this recipe seem so appealing. I could eat every day just like you do! Thanks for your hard work.
Richa
Thanks Sue. Its a simple lentil dal but packs flavor and so much love! 🙂
Peter
I just cooked this and it tastes great but looks a lot less soupy than the picture here. Is that ok?
Richa
yes totally fine. The consistency depends on the lentils, your stove/pan, cooking time etc. Also the soup continues to thicken as it cools and sits, like split pea soups. It becomes quite thick when refrigerated. Add water to preference and reheat to about a boil.
Lucie
So perfect for chilly days! I love how rich and comforting it looks!
Richa
it is perfect for the winter. and creamy with just lentils, so added milk/cream needed!