Dal – chawal is my comfort food and I look forward to cold winter nights to eat a bowl of steaming hot rice and lentils with some desi ghee in it. For the third and last day of cooking with lemons, I chose this classic tangy Nimbu Dal. I made this dal with masoor dal (orange lentils), just because I love the flavor of the dal. You could also use moong dal or tuvar dal for the same recipe or a mix of dals. We had this for dinner along with some phulkas and pumpkin subzi (recipe coming soon). I made the dal a bit on the runny side to allow us to sip it as soup. I have used onions in the recipe, but if preferred the onions could be skipped. Preparation time – 10 minutesCooking time – 30 minutesDifficulty level – easy
Ingredients to make Nimbu Dal – (serves 4)
Masoor dal (orange lentils) – ¾ cupOnion – 1 medium (chopped finely)Tomatoes – 3 (chopped finely)Green chilies – 2Ginger – 1 teaspoon (finely grated)Cumin seeds – 1 tspTurmeric powder – ½ tspRed chili powder – 1 tspCinnamon – ½ inch pieceGhee or oil – 1 tbspLemon juice – from 1 lemon or about 3-4 tbspSalt – to tasteCilantro – for garnish
Procedure to make Lemon Lentils
Wash the lentils couple of times and then cook it in enough water with a pinch of turmeric powder until soft. I usually cook the masoor dal on stove top, but if preferred you could cook it in pressure cooker.
In a pan, heat the ghee or oil or a combination of both and then add the cumin seeds. Once the seeds splutter, add the cinnamon stick and fry for about 30 seconds.
Add the onions and sauté until golden brown. Then add the grated ginger and green chilies and fry for a minute more.
Next goes in the chopped tomatoes along with salt, turmeric powder and red chili powder.
Fry until the tomatoes are mushy.
Now add the cooked dal along with some water (if needed) and let the mixture boil for about 8 – 10 minutes in medium heat.
Add the cilantro and let the Lemon Lentils boil for a minute. Remove from the flame and add the lemon juice.
Mix well and serve the Nimbu Dal steaming hot.
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