This Bengali Musur Dal Sheddo is a simple boiled masur dal or red lentil dish often served with a dash of mustard oil and chopped red onions, chillies, and fresh coriander leaves for a hearty lunch meal.

Masoor Dal, or red lentils, are one of the most frequently used lentils in an Indian kitchen. This Bengali masoor dal makha recipe is quick, easy to cook, and delicious to eat with hot steaming rice.

Bengali Masoor Dal recipe - Musur Dal bhate

Table of Contents

Ingredients for Bengali Masoor Dal Seddho recipe

Red Lentils or Masoor Dal
Mustard Oil
Onion
Green Chilies
Fresh Coriander Leaves
Salt
Turmeric Powder

Recipe instructions

Prep the lentils: Wash the musur dal or red lentils a couple of times till the water runs clear. Put the washed dal in the pressure cooker along with some salt, a drizzle of mustard oil, and enough water to cook the lentil. After 2-3 whistles, turn off the heat and let the cooker depressurise on its own.
Once cooled, remove the lid. Check for seasoning and consistency. It is usually preferred slightly mushy; however, I like to keep it slightly runny for ease of eating by my daughter.
Add some chopped onion, green chilies, and coriander leaves, along with a drizzle of mustard oil, to the dal before serving.

Serving suggestions

Serve thus musur dal bhate with steaming hot rice for a delicious meal. I love to serve an omelet or fried potatoes with this dal.

What is ‘dal sheddo‘ or ‘dal makha‘

Traditionally, the term ‘sheddo‘ means boiled in the pot. As the water boiled in the pot for cooking rice, some varieties of veggies or lentils would be packed into a neat cloth parcel and dropped into it.

Once the rice gets cooked, this cloth parcel or the veggies would be scooped out of the starchy water and mashed with seasonings and oil. This would serve as the ‘prothom-paat‘ or the first side dish to the rice.

However, I don’t prefer cooking such veggies or lentils in starch water. Instead, I drop them in a pressure cooker and let it whistle a couple of times to get the perfect texture.

Another reason for me to cook them separately is that I don’t like to get the taste of my Basmati rice altered due to the addition of extra veggies or lentils in the same pot.

Masoor Dal or Red Lentil Benefits

Masoor Dal or Red Lentils are super nutritious. Those who are following plant-based diets should consider including this in their daily meals for a considerable bulk of protein intake.

Other than that, here are some of the other reasons for you to buy this lentil in bulk and make Bengali masoor dal regularly.

Very easy to digest – Masoor dal is light on our stomachs. So, if someone is recovering from a serious ailment, they should include this in their daily diet.
Protein-rich lentils – Lentils are the powerhouse of protein. Those who are looking for plant-based options to include protein elements in their diet should concentrate hard on red lentils.
Beneficial to lactating mothers – Red lentils are extremely beneficial for lactating mothers as they provide nutrition to produce enriched breast milk for their infants.
Great infant meal idea – Most doctors prescribe Lentil Soup or Daal ka Pani (दाल का पानी ) when the baby turns 6 months. Boil 1 tsp of red lentil or masoor dal in 100 ml of water till the lentil is cooked completely and it looks like a soup. It is a wonderful and nutritious supplement for infants, a better substitute for plain water.
For quick meals – Red lentils are amazingly quick to cook. Even if you don’t own a pressure cooker or an Instant Pot, you can still make this masoor dal in a saucepan.

More Bengali dal recipes

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Musur Dal Sheddho | মুসুর ডাল সেদ্ধ

Priyanka

This Bengali masoor dal bhate recipe is a simple boiled masoor dal or red lentil dish often served with a dash of mustard oil and chopped red onions, chillies and fresh coriander leaves.

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 5

Total Time 10

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Bengali

Servings 2 people

Calories 0.105 kcal

Equipment

Stove Top
Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

¼ cup Masoor Dal or Red Lentils
¼ cup Water
1 tsp Mustard Oil
Salt to Taste
¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
Onion Finely chopped for garnish
Green Chilli Finely chopped for garnish
Coriander Leaves Finely chopped for garnish

Instructions

Pressure cook the lentils with water, salt and turmeric powder. Allow it to whistle 2-3 times and then turn off the heat.
Let the pressure cooker depressurise itself. Open it and check the consistency. If it's runny, turn on the heat and stir to let the extra water evaporate till you get mushy consistency.
Turn off the heat.
¼ cup Masoor Dal or Red Lentils, ¼ cup Water, Salt to Taste, ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
Take the boiled lentils out on a bowl and serve it with the rest of ingredients.
1 tsp Mustard Oil, Onion, Green Chilli, Coriander Leaves