Mashur Daal is a staple of Bangladesh cuisine. This soup/stew is wonderfully spicy. It gives the essence of flavors of Bangladesh utilizing their five spice blend called Panch Phoron. This is a blend of nigella seeds, yellow mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and cumin seeds. You can adjust the heat with the amount of chilies that you use. This is a simple and delicious recipe. Enjoy!
Mashur Daal (Red Lentil Soup)
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1 cup onion ½ finely diced and ½ thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 green chilies finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups water
- 2 tablespoons ghee unsalted butter can be substituted
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon panch phoron Bengali five spice blend
Instructions
- Wash and drain the lentils.
- In a large pot, add in the lentils, water, diced onions, ½ the garlic and 2/3rds of the green chilies, 1 tablespoon of ghee, all the spices except the panch phoron.
- Bring to a boil and then simmer over medium low for 15-20 minutes until the lentils are tender.
- Take a whisk and break up the lentils, whisking vigorously for a couple of minutes until it becomes well combined.
- Add in the cilantro.
- In a separate frying pan, melt the ghee and add in the thinly sliced onions and the remainder of the chili. Cook until the onions begin to caramelize.
- Add in the garlic and the panch phoron and stir until the panch phoron begins to sputter.
- Turn the heat to low and add in one scoop of the daal into the frying pan.
- Pour everything back into the daal pot.
- Cover and simmer for a few more minutes.
- Garnish with some more cilantro and serve hot.
