If you wonder how to cook red lentils that usually comes in the form of split lentils, read this blog post which is an easy guide to cooking red lentils, even if you are a beginner!
Red Lentils – Masoor Dal
Red lentils look orange red in color before cooking and they turn yellow in color once they are cooked!
Red lentils are also known as masoor dal and they make great dal, soup or curry, lentil burgers etc and they are also great in other recipes like salads or stir fries.
To make dal or soup or curry, it is easy to cook red lentils because they cook much faster.
They turn soft and mushy very fast, so the texture of red lentils is perfect for making red lentil dal or red lentil soup since they can be mashed very easily once completely cooked until soft.
When it comes to other dishes like salads or stir fries, you need to reduce the cooking time and you need to be careful not to overcook the red lentil dal, since they turn soft in texture very fast.
You do not need to soak the red lentils before cooking, as they cook faster even without soaking in advance.
Let us learn more about red lentils or masoor dal first so yo get an idea about these colorful little lentils!
What Are Red Lentils – Masoor Dal/Red Split Lentils?
Red lentils are small sized red or deep orange colored lentils which is so easy to cook at home.
Red split lentils are very popularly used in Indian cuisine (just like toor dal and yellow split moong dal) and they are known as masoor dal in India.
They look very colorful lentils in reddish orange color and they are very easy to use in recipes.
Once the red lentils are cooked, the red color changes and the dal looks bright yellow in color resembling yellow moong dal!
In fact, red lentil dal or masoor dal can be used as a substitute for yellow moong dal (yellow split mung beans) and toor dal (yellow split pigeon peas) in many Indian recipes easily!
Masoor dal is a very versatile dal used in Indian dal recipes and they are very nutritious and healthy.
The health benefits of red split lentils or masoor dal includes high fibre content, potassium, iron etc.
You can read more about the health benefits of lentils here.
Recipes using red lentils or masoor dal:
instant pot red lentils cabbage dal
Indian red lentil dal curry soup with lemon, tomatoes and spices
How long to cook red lentils?
It is so easy to cook red split lentils, as they cook very fast.
The cooking times can slightly vary based on what dish you want to make with the red lentils.
For example, if you want to make red lentil dal or red lentil soup or red lentil burgers, we need very soft cooked lentils that can be mashed easily.
In that case, you can easily cook the red lentils for about 15 minutes on stove top or for about 6 minutes in high pressure in instant pot since the red lentils will be perfectly cooked by that time.
Most of the water will also be absorbed but you can add more water or broth as you need to make soup or dal and then add seasonings and salt as you prefer.
If you want the red lentils to be al dente texture which is not very soft but perfectly cooked, you can cook the lentils for about 2 to 3 minutes (after the mixture comes to boil) and then see if it’s completely cooked to your preference.
Keep in mind that it is important to completely cook the lentils before you eat them.
Since they may have some toxicity in raw form, it is never advised to eat lentils raw and so make sure they are completely cooked!
If it’s cooked to your preference, you can stop cooking, and if there is any left over liquid, then you can drain and discard the leftover liquid and use only the lentils or you can save any leftover liquid for using in soup recipes or dal recipes as it is nutritious.
By draining any excess liquid once the lentils are cooked, you have the perfectly cooked al dente lentils to use in your recipe!
Red Lentil To Water Ratio
To cook red lentils, you can use a red lentil to water ratio of 1: 3 cups. It means, you need 3 cups of water to cook 1 cup of red lentils.
However, if you are making curry, soups etc, you will need to add more water for the desired liquid consistency.
What does lentils taste like?
Lentils are basically legumes that comes in different varieties.
Lentils generally taste mildly sweet and earthy with a creamy texture, though different varieties of lentils may vary in taste, texture and flavor.
Lentils like red lentils and yellow lentils are mildly sweet and they can easily absorb the flavors of the spices you add into the dish.
Cooked, soft lentils have a creamy texture of mashed potatoes!
So let us see in detail how to cook red lentils on stove top or instant pot.
How to cook red lentils on stove top or instant pot?
We can easily cook red lentils or masoor dal using the ingredients and following the step by step instructions here.
ingredients needed
red split lentils 1 cup
water 3 cups
salt adjust to taste
olive oil 1 tablespoon
lemon juice 1 tablespoon
for seasoning (optional):
black pepper powder ½ teaspoon
garlic powder ½ teaspoon
onion powder ½ teaspoon
for easy red lentil dal soup (optional):
turmeric powder ½ teaspoon
red chili powder ¼ teaspoon
black pepper powder ½ teaspoon
garlic powder ½ teaspoon
onion powder ½ teaspoon
heavy cream or coconut milk ¼ cup
Step by step instructions
Stove top directions
Rinse the red lentils very well and add to a saucepan. Make sure to use a large sized saucepan or the contents can boil over creating a liquid mess, while you cook them!
Add salt and 3 cups of water, mix well with the dal and bring the mixture to a quick boil.
As soon as the mixture starts boiling, add the olive oil and lemon juice, stir well.
Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with lid and if you want al dente lentils, you can cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, then carefully open the pan and see if it’s cooked.
By 3 minutes itself, the lentils may turn soft so make sure to check at 2 minutes mark.
Once the lentils is cooked to your preference, stop the cooking and discard any remaining liquid or you may use the leftover liquid (if there is any) in making any soup or curry.
Lentils should be completely cooked before you eat them since they have some toxicity in it’s raw form. So make sure you have completely cooked them even if you do not want them very soft.
(Also, if you plan to use them regularly, it is a good idea to cook them until very soft and make soup which is more healthier!)
You can use a large slotted spoon or spatula to easily separate the lentils from the water and transfer the cooked lentils to a serving dish.
Season with black pepper, garlic and onion powders or any spices of your choice, or use in any recipes you want.
If you want the cooked lentils to be used in recipes like soup, reduce the heat to low, cover with lid and cook for about 12 to 15 minutes until completely cooked & tender or until very soft in texture.
If the saucepan is not large enough, the liquids from the pan may boil over and overflow causing a liquid mess, so it is a good idea to watch the pan.
In case it boil over, you may open the pan carefully, give a good stir and simmer the contents while keeping the pan open.
This may take longer to cook, and you may need to add extra water in case the water evaporates before the lentils are completely cooked.
To make easy red lentil dal soup
Once the lentils are cooked soft, simmer another couple of minutes and mash the cooked lentils a bit using a ladle, if needed.
Add the spice powders for the dal (turmeric, red chili powder, black pepper powder, garlic powder and onion powder), stir well to mix with the dal and simmer for a couple of minutes so the spices will blend well with the dal soup.
Add heavy cream or coconut milk and mix well to combine with the dal soup.
Serve hot as a soup or serve as an easy, delicious dal curry with rice for a simple, delicious lunch or dinner!
Instant pot directions
To cook the red lentils in instant pot pressure cooker, you can add all ingredients to the instant pot and stir well.
Then close the instant pot with lid in sealing position, cook in high pressure for 6 minutes, followed by a natural pressure release, for very soft cooked lentils if you want to make soup or dal.
If you want al dente dal, stove top method is the best, because you can check the texture of the dal while cooking.
However, if you need to do this in the instant pot, cook in high pressure for 0 minutes and you will need to do a quick release once it’s done to make al dente red lentils for salads in the instant pot (I do not recommend this method though since the texture can turn mushy very fast in the instant pot and also you need to be very careful with the quick release since the steam can be very hot. For al dente red lentils, the best way is to cook them on stove top so you can control the cooking time).
More simple, basic cooking recipes:
how to cook cabbage on stove top
how to cook frozen broccoli on stove top
Below you can get the detailed recipe instructions to cook red lentils!
How To Cook Red Lentils
Ingredients
for seasoning (optional):
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
for easy red lentil dal soup (optional):
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ cup heavy cream or coconut milk
Instructions
Stove top directions
- Rinse the red lentils very well and add to a saucepan. Make sure to use a large sized saucepan or the contents can boil over creating a liquid mess, while you cook them!
- Add salt and 3 cups of water, mix well with the dal and bring the mixture to a quick boil.
- As soon as the mixture starts boiling, add the olive oil and lemon juice, stir well.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with lid and if you want al dente lentils, you can cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, then carefully open the pan and see if it’s cooked.
- By 3 minutes itself, the lentils may turn soft so make sure to check at 2 minutes mark.Lentils should be completely cooked before you eat them since they have some toxicity in it's raw form. So make sure you have completely cooked them even if you do not want them very soft.Also, if you plan to use them regularly, it is a good idea to cook them until very soft and make soup which is more healthier!
- Once the lentils is cooked to your preference, stop the cooking and discard any remaining liquid or you may use the leftover liquid (if there is any) in making any soup or curry.
- You can use a large slotted spoon or spatula to easily separate the lentils from the water and transfer the cooked lentils to a serving dish.
- Season with black pepper, garlic and onion powders or any spices of your choice, or use in any recipes you want.
- If you want the cooked lentils to be used in recipes like soup, reduce the heat to low, cover with lid and cook for about 12 to 15 minutes until completely cooked & tender or until very soft in texture.
- If the saucepan is not large enough, the liquids from the pan may boil over and overflow causing a liquid mess, so it is a good idea to watch the pan.
- In case it boil over, you may open the pan carefully, give a good stir and simmer the contents while keeping the pan open.
- This may take longer to cook, and you may need to add extra water in case the water evaporates before the lentils are completely cooked.
To make easy red lentil dal soup
- Once the lentils are cooked soft, simmer another couple of minutes and mash the cooked lentils a bit using a ladle, if needed.
- Add the spice powders for the dal (turmeric, red chili powder, black pepper powder, garlic powder and onion powder), stir well to mix with the dal and simmer for a couple of minutes so the spices will blend well with the dal soup.
- Add heavy cream or coconut milk and mix well to combine with the dal soup. Serve hot as a soup or serve as an easy, delicious dal curry with rice for a simple, delicious lunch or dinner!
Instant pot directions
- To cook the red lentils in instant pot pressure cooker, you can add all ingredients to the instant pot and stir well.
- Then close the instant pot with lid in sealing position, cook in high pressure for 6 minutes, followed by a natural pressure release, for very soft cooked lentils if you want to make soup or dal.
- If you want al dente dal, stove top method is the best, because you can check the texture of the dal while cooking.
- However, if you need to do this in the instant pot, cook in high pressure for 0 minutes and you will need to do a quick release once it’s done to make al dente red lentils for salads in the instant pot (I do not recommend this method though since the texture can turn mushy very fast in the instant pot and also you need to be very careful with the quick release since the steam can be very hot. For al dente red lentils, the best way is to cook them on stove top so you can control the cooking time).
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