Aloo Masoor dal or Potato red lentil stew is a hearty one pot dish that is easy enough to make for a busy weeknight dinner.
For the second day of this week’s blogging marathon, I have a very interesting gravy curry/ stew. Today’s everyday dish, Aloo Masoor dal or Potato Lentil Stew is very easy to make and has an unusual combination of lentils and potatoes.
Aloo Masoor Dal
Aloo masoor dal has an interesting gravy. As the name suggests red lentils are cooked till very smooth and used as the gravy. Sounds very similar to South Indian sambar with lentils and veggies but quite different because there are no spices used. Lemon juice at the very end gives the required tang and makes the whole dish pop.
One pot dish:
I love one pot wonders like this one. Protein, carbohydrates and veggie in the same dish – I don’t have to worry about making another side dish. This aloo masoor dal fits the bill perfectly. Red lentils cook in no time and so this is a great wholesome dish to make on a weeknight.
Perfect to eat as is or served with rice or roti – this is a great dish that the whole family will love.
Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 105.
- 1 cup Red Lentils (Masoor Dal)
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 2 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 Small Red Onion, finely chopped
- 1" Ginger piece, finely grated
- 2~3 Green Chilies, finely chopped
- 2~3 Medium Potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 tsp Ground Coriander
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 2 tbsp Cilantro, chopped
- To taste salt
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- Pressure cook masoor dal until tender and mushy, about 3 whistles or 6 minutes in instant pot. Alternately cook in a medium-size saucepan for about 15~18 minutes.
- While the lentils are cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and cook till fragrant, about 10 seconds.
- Add the onions, ginger and chilies and cook till the onions are lightly browned, about 8~10 minutes.
- Add the potatoes along with ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, cilantro and salt. Cook for about 2 minutes to cook the spices.
- Add ½ cup of water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium low, cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, about 10~12 minutes.
- Once the lentils are cold enough to handle, whisk until smooth or use an immersion blender to make them smooth.
- Stir in the creamy lentil sauce into the potato mixture and cook for 8~10 minutes for the flavors to mingle.
- Stir in lime juice just before serving. Serve hot with rice or roti.
Dal and potatoes are an interesting combination. Looking at the creamy sauce, would not have guessed it is from dal. This is a good pick for easy side dishes.
Usha is right, I wouldn’t have guessed that the gravy is dal based. This curry would pair nicely with rice as well as roti.
Never heard of dal and potato combination Pavani. Just like Usha mentioned, couldn’t guess the creamy gravy is dal based. It looks delicious.
Wow! We make Allam aloo pappu with toor dal. This sounds like a cousin of that. Would love to explore this next time around.
I recently made broccoli masoor dal tadka. Masoor dal with potato sounds very interesting. Yummm. Any day I would say yes to dal.
Very interesting preparation. This sounds like a melange of a dal and potato curry.
That is such a brilliant idea! I love masoor dal and adding some potato to it makes it a completely different side dish. I am so going to try it 🙂
Potato lentil stew looks so good. Its a complete meal in itself for me.
I adore dhal in just about any form. I think it’s my all time favourite food. Yours look so good and just perfect for a cold and grey autumn day like today.
This looks like the ultimate bowl of comfort food. I’m really liking the flavors used in this recipe as well!
It’s been a while since I cooked with lentils, so thanks for this tasty reminder to add them back to the menu! This stew looks so hearty and with that ingredient list I know it’s super flavourful too!