This is N’s favorite side dish to go with phulkas. Actually he is the one who makes masoor matki at home while I make the rotis. Masoor dal, or in general any dal has a good amount of protein in it, so being a vegetarian,it was a blessing in disguise. We used to make rotis and some kind of dal almost 2-3 times a week when I was pregnant, the majority being masoor dal, dal makhni or simple dal fry with spinach or similar greens.Since lentils are also a good source of fiber, dal with rice or rotis/chappatis made my dinners a protein packed one.

As far as the name goes,Matki means a pot and Masoor- the lentil. We usually make the dal in a normal pan rather than using the clay pot. This recipe may not be your traditional recipe for masoor matki but we altered it the way we like it

If you like you can use a combination of lentils or even masoor and channa(garbanzo beans).

Ingredients(serves-2)

Masoor dal- 1 cup
Finely chopped onions- 1/4 cup
Finely chopped tomatoes-1/2 cup
Salt- 1 tsp
Kitchen King masala powder- 1 and 1/2 tbsp
Red chili powder- 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Oil- 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves- few
Cilantro and lemon- to garnish(optional)

Method:

Wash and soak the masoor dal in water for atleast an hour. Pressure cook the dal for upto two whistles in a pressure cooker. Let it cool down, release the pressure and mash the dal well with a spoon or using a ladle/masher.

Heat oil in a saucepan/pot and add cumin seeds and mustard seeds. When they splutter, add curry leaves. Add the onions and sautee till they turn translucent.Add salt and tomatoes, stir fry for 2-3 minutes and add all the powders- red chili powder and kitchen king masala. Mix well.

Add about 2 cups of water to the pan,depending on how thin/thick you like the dal as the mashed dal will have some water in it too.Cover the pan and let the onions and tomatoes cook and reduce as a gravy(say about 10 minutes on medium flame).Add the mashed dal, and let it simmer for another 5-7 minutes. Switch off and garnish with chopped cilantro leaves. You can also add lemon juice if you like. N usually adds less than 1/4 of a tsp of tamarind paste to the gravy to give it a tanginess.

Serve the masoor dal with phulkas,rotis or chappatis. It is great with rumali roti also.

This masoor matki is going to Susan’s MLLA-40 hosted this month by Suma.

the attachments to this post:

masoor-matki

massor

MLLA

Tags: dal fry, masoor dal fry, Masoor matki, massor dal

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