Masoor Dal (Spiced Red Lentils) Recipe • 5★

Updated December 10, 2025

Craig Lee for The New York Times

What I have come to understand is that how food looks as you prepare it can make as much difference to the cook as it does, on the plate, to the person who gets to eat it. When the skies are drab and life feels a little gray, I am absurdly cheered by the fresh brightness of a vibrantly orange dal, a red lentil stew spiced with turmeric, chili and ginger, and colored with sweet potatoes and tomatoes. Just seeing that mixture in the pan lifts my spirits. It helps that a dal is simple to make: a bit of chopping and the stew all but cooks itself. And it can be made in advance and then reheated, always a bonus. This dal makes a wonderful, exuberant partner to broiled salmon, but I love it without meat, too, when I partner it with my “bright rice.”

Featured in: AT MY TABLE; Colorful and Cheery, Food to Light a Gray Day

SaveLog in or sign up to save this recipe.

GiveSubscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyoneAs a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.SubscribeLog In

Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

Share this recipeCopy linkEmailPinterestFacebookXWhatsAppReddit

Print this recipeInclude recipe photoPrint RecipeLog in or sign up to print this recipe.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup finely chopped onion

2 ½ cups (10 ounces, about 1 medium) finely diced sweet potato

1 tablespoon minced ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Thai or bird's-eye red chili

1 cup red lentils

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 cup canned chopped tomatoes

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Pieces of coconut flesh from a fresh coconut (optional)

Step 1In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, heat oil, and sauté onion until softened. Add sweet potato, and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add minced ginger and garlic; stir, and reduce heat to low.

In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, heat oil, and sauté onion until softened. Add sweet potato, and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add minced ginger and garlic; stir, and reduce heat to low.

Step 2Finely dice chili, keeping seeds if you wish to add more heat. Add chili, lentils, coriander, cumin, turmeric and ground ginger to pan. Stir until lentils are well coated with oil. Add tomatoes and 4 cups water. Raise heat to bring to a boil, then reduce heat until mixture is at a fast simmer. Cook uncovered until lentils and potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes.

Finely dice chili, keeping seeds if you wish to add more heat. Add chili, lentils, coriander, cumin, turmeric and ground ginger to pan. Stir until lentils are well coated with oil. Add tomatoes and 4 cups water. Raise heat to bring to a boil, then reduce heat until mixture is at a fast simmer. Cook uncovered until lentils and potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes.

Step 3Season to taste with salt, and continue to simmer until mixture has thickened, about 10 minutes. Whisk dal to amalgamate lentils and sweet potatoes. If dal is too soupy, increase heat and cook for a little longer.

Season to taste with salt, and continue to simmer until mixture has thickened, about 10 minutes. Whisk dal to amalgamate lentils and sweet potatoes. If dal is too soupy, increase heat and cook for a little longer.

Step 4To serve, place dal in a serving bowl and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. If desired, shave thin strips of fresh coconut on top. Serve hot.

To serve, place dal in a serving bowl and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. If desired, shave thin strips of fresh coconut on top. Serve hot.

I love this recipe and have been tweaking it to my liking. Here are my adjustments:-add 2 tbsp coconut oil (in place of fresh coconut)-use I ripe chopped tomato, if available-use 1 tsp cayenne pepper, in place of Thai chiliOtherwise, it's fabulous!

Easy and good, but much, much better if you add about a half of can of coconut milk at the end. Also much better the next day.

Made this in my new instant pot pressure cooker. I should have cut a cup or two of liquid, but I let it boil down to thicken. 12 min under pressure.

This is fantastic!!! I find that it's best when you let it cool substantially before serving. The sweet potato pops more that way.

Really very good and easy. Added about half a can of coconut milk at the end as others have suggested. Also was too lazy to measure the tomatoes and save the rest so just threw the whole can in. Kinda eyeballed the other amounts. Loved the addition of the sweet potato. Will make again!

i added 2 and 1/2 cups of honeynut squash, I didn't have cilantro, I added a little coconut oil, put in the cumin as seeds with onions, it was delicious, we ate the stewlike mix with freshly baked sour dough bread and it tasted like an Ethiopian dish.

Source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/7517-masoor-dal-spiced-red-lentils