It was a lot of fun exploring some very new lentils for this week’s BM theme. Masoor dal is nothing new to me as it is one of my very favorite lentils. I make Masoor dal tadka, and Instant pot Masala Khichdi using masoor dal and also use it as one of the lentils in adai, but have never thought of making chutney with it until now. After having made two subzis in the series I was looking for something different and this was the perfect choice. I would say the flavor of this orange lentil chutney resembled Paruppu thogayal to some extent but adding the coriander seeds and cumin seeds added an additional layer of flavor. Being a garlic lover, I did not omit the garlic in the recipe, but this could be made without the garlic. We ate it for dinner as a side for rava idli. I had a little bit of leftover that I ate along with thayir saadham (yogurt rice) the next day and it was delicious. The orange lentil chutney was very quick to make and definitely a good alternative to the routine coconut chutney. Preparation time - 5 minutesCooking time - 10 minutesDifficulty level - easy
Ingredients to make Masoor Dal Chutney - serves 4 to 6
Masoor dal / Pink lentil - ½ cup Coriander seeds - ½ tsp Cumin seeds - ½ tsp Red chilies - 4 or 5 (adjust based on your spice level) Garlic - 2 cloves (optional) Tamarind - a tiny piece Jaggery or sugar - ½ tsp Salt - to taste oil - 1 tsp
For seasoning -
Oil - 1 tsp Mustard seeds - ½ tsp Urad dal - ½ tsp Curry leaves - few Asafetida - ¼ tsp
Procedure to make Masoor Dal Chutney
Dry roast the lentils until they are aromatic and start changing color. Masoor dal roasts really quickly and so keep the flame low and keep stirring all the time.
Transfer the roasted lentils on a plate and in the same pan, heat 1 teaspoon of oil. Add the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, red chilies and garlic and fry them until they are aromatic. At the end add the tamarind piece and jaggery.
Let everything cool down and then grind the fried ingredients along with the masoor dal and salt. Add water as needed to grind.
In a small pan, heat 1 teaspoon of oil. Add the mustard seeds and let it splutter.
Now add the urad dal, curry leaves and asafetida.
Add this to the chutney and mix well. Serve with idli or dosa.
Do check out the other chutney recipes that I have in the blog -
Coconut chutney Onion, tomato and cilantro chutney Urad dal chutney Bombay Chutney Hmarcha Rwat - Roasted Green chili chutney Goan Special coconut chutney Chettinadu Milagai Chutney Kara Chutney Onion chutney Peanut chutney - version 1 Peanut chutney - version 2 one more Peanut version - version 3
Recipe
