One of the best ways to unwind apart from travelling, or binge-watching your favourite TV shows, is cooking, no? Sometimes, you cook when you don’t like what’s made at home, and other times, you just really feel like cooking a nice meal for your loved ones. If you’re the kind of person who likes or has to cook often but is bored of the standard dal chawal, we’ve got just the recipe for you! Vidhi Doshi a.k.a @Ramenhairedgirl has curated an epic Sri Lankan style masoor dal recipe that’s gonna kick every run-of-the-mill dal in the butt. Scroll down for the entire recipe!

What You’ll Need

3/4 cup masoor dal (red lentils)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
150 ml of coconut milk
3-4 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp methi seeds
2 cloves
1-inch cinnamon stick
2 tsp finely chopped garlic
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
5-6 curry leaves
1 dried red chilli broken into pieces
1 tbsp tamarind (imli) pulp
Salt to taste

Here’s How You Can Put It All Together

Step 1

Step 1
Step 1

Wash the masoor dal thoroughly. Add it to a deep pan, add approx 2.5 cups of water, salt, turmeric powder, curry powder and chilli powder.

Step 2

Step 2
Step 2

Mix well and cook for approximately 20 minutes till completely cooked. Add the coconut milk, mix well and simmer for 4-5 minutes.

Step 3

Step 3

Meanwhile, in another pan, heat the oil. Add the cumin seeds, methi seeds, cloves and cinnamon and sauté till they crackle. Add the garlic and onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes till they are slightly browned.

Step 4

Step 4

Now add the curry leaves and dried red chilli and sauté for 30 more seconds.

Step 5

Step 5

Add this tadka to the dal, also add the tamarind pulp, mix well and cook for 2 more minutes, season with salt and serve hot!

How quick was that? Try it out and tell how it turned out in the comments below!

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