No.62 The 100 Most Popular Recipes Ever · October 2026

Red lentil dal

Made famous by Meera Sodha

Photo: Wind Hashira, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

From Made in India, 2014.

Dal is eaten at more tables in South Asia every day than any other dish, and Meera Sodha's Made in India brought her family's dal to millions of British kitchens.

Written in our own words and tested in a home kitchen. Get the original in Made in India.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (200 g) red split lentils (masoor dal), rinsed until the water runs clear
• 4 cups (960 ml) water
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp fine salt, plus more to taste
• For the tadka: 3 tbsp ghee or neutral oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds (optional)
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1-inch piece ginger, grated
• 1 to 2 green chiles, finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chile powder and 1/2 tsp garam masala
• Juice of 1/2 lemon and chopped cilantro, to finish

Steps

1. Put the lentils, water and turmeric in a pot. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, then simmer partly covered 20 to 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils have collapsed into a creamy purée. Whisk to smooth it, add the salt, and thin with water to the consistency of thick soup.
2. For the tadka, heat the ghee in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin and mustard seeds and let them pop, 20 to 30 seconds.
3. Add the onion and cook until golden, 8 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and chiles and cook 1 to 2 minutes until the garlic is golden at the edges.
4. Add the tomatoes, chile powder and garam masala and cook until the tomatoes soften to a paste, 5 minutes.
5. Pour the tadka into the dal and stir. Simmer 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice, taste for salt, and scatter with cilantro.
6. Serve with basmati rice or chapatis.

Chef's tips

• Dal thickens as it stands; loosen with hot water.
• Keep a little tadka back to spoon on top at the table.

This is Chef Amazing's write-up of the dish, tested for a home kitchen. The original is in Made in India by Meera Sodha: get the book, No. 74 on The 100 Greatest Cookbooks.

← No. 61Chana masala→ No. 63Carnitas