Lasooni Dal Recipe – Delicious lentils with garlic Indian dish
A couple of months ago we moved into a new apartment with no gas lines to the house.
I have always cooked with a gas stove before moving into this apartment. Since we moved, I’m cooking on an electric induction cooktop.
As I didn’t know too much about induction cooktops, I was a bit frustrated at the beginning from various reasons: not compatible with all types of cookware I am having in my kitchen (goodbye woks! you need magnetic flat pans!) or not knowing the right temperature to use, no more charring peppers or eggplants or naan in an open flame…
But once I started to seriously cook on the induction cooktop, I realized the many benefits of it and I started to enjoy it more and more.
It’s way faster than gas, very easy to clean the surface, safer since no open flame and that’s a great thing for me having a little kid in the house, no more worry about hot surfaces in the kitchen that she may touch.
More, it’s impossible to leave it switched on after removing the pot, no more gas danger, no more hot kitchen as the heat goes directly to the pan.
I have been asked if I need to adapt the recipes for cooking induction or if the food taste different cooked with such stove. NO. Cooking it’s faster yes, but the cooked food flavours are not affected, there is no difference in the cooked result.
The recipe I’m sharing today, Lasooni dal (garlic dal) is one of my favorite North Indian lentils dish, very easy to make and with a spicy garlic aroma that I just love it!
For all of you who don’t have a pressure cooker, and want to cook lentils, you can do it in a normal pan but the cooking time will be longer (more than 30 minutes).
Step by step Lasooni Dal Recipe
Take a pressure cooker or a simple pan and add moong dal (split green gram), 4 garlic cloves, crushed ginger, green chilli, turmeric powder, salt, onion and 4 cups of water. If using a pressure cooker then close the lid and cook for 4-5 whistles, on medium heat. If using a simple pan then cook uncovered, on medium heat for about 30-40 minutes until lentils are cooked.
Once done, if using a pressure cooker then let the pressure go down by itself, then open the cover. Keep aside.
Once the lentils are cooked, take a frying pan and heat ghee or oil. Add mustard seeds and fry for few seconds. Add cumin seeds and when they start to sizzle add the rest of chopped garlic. Stir fry for 1 minute.
Lower the heat and add all powder spices. Stir for few seconds then take it away from the flame and pour it over the cooked dal.
Mix all together, check for salt and adjust by adding more if necessary. If the dal is too thick then add some more water.
Garnish lasooni dal with fresh coriander leaves and serve with steamed rice or as a lentils soup on its own.
- 1 cup moong dal (split green gram);
- 1 tsp crushed/grated fresh ginger;
- 1 small onion, chopped;
- 1 green chilli, chopped;
- ½ tsp turmeric powder;
- ½ tsp salt or as per taste;
- 4 cups water;
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped.
- For tempering
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped;
- 2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter) or oil;
- 1 tsp mustard seeds;
- 1 tsp cumin (jeera) seeds;
- ¼ tsp red chilli powder;
- 1 tbsp coriander powder;
- 1 tsp garam masala;
- pinch of hing (asafetida);
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves.
- Take a pressure cooker or a simple pan and add moong dal (split green gram), 4 garlic cloves, crushed ginger, green chilli, turmeric powder, salt, onion and 4 cups of water.
- If using a pressure cooker then close the lid and cook for 4-5 whistles, on medium heat. If using a simple pan then cook uncovered, on medium heat for about 30-40 minutes until lentils are cooked.
- Once done, if using a pressure cooker then let the pressure go down by itself, then open the cover. Keep aside.
- Once the lentils are cooked, take a frying pan and heat ghee or oil. Add mustard seeds and fry for few seconds. Add cumin seeds and when they start to sizzle add the rest of chopped garlic. Stir fry for 1 minute.
- Lower the heat and add all powder spices. Stir for few seconds then take it away from the flame and pour it over the cooked dal.
- Mix all together, check for salt and adjust by adding more if necessary. If the dal is too thick then add some more water. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Garnish lasooni dal with fresh coriander leaves and serve with steamed rice or as a lentils soup on its own.
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