Dim Diye Masoor Dal: Bengali-Style Red Lentils With Scrambled Eggs

The Bengali lentil and egg stew called dim masoori or dim diye masoor dal, combines the cuisine’s two favourite comfort foods – dimer jhol and masoor dal. Unlike most spicy egg curries that come from other parts of the country, this dish offers a mild richness and creamy texture because of the cooked red lentils and eggs. It is also nourishing because of the high protein content, when combined with rotis or rice, makes up a full meal. This stew is perfect even with a piece of hot sourdough toast, if you manage to save some for the next day.

The earthy flavour of the masoor dal combined with the protein-rich eggs are great to serve for children, diabetics and those watching their weight. This dish is pretty convenient to make when you’re running out of time and need a meal ready to go, on the table. Although it can have a runny or soupy consistency, depending on the amount of liquid that is used to make the dal, you could also avoid diluting the lentils further with water, once they are cooked and retain a creamy, thick texture. If you are not a fan of scrambled eggs, you could soft boil the eggs

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup masoor dal
• 1 medium-sized onion, sliced
• 1 inch piece ginger
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 tablespoon mustard oil
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 green chillies, slit lengthwise
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• Handful of chopped fresh coriander
• Salt to taste

Method:

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Parshe Macher Jhol: A Traditional Bengali-Style Fish Curry

• Soak the red lentils for about an hour and drain the water. Fill up two cups of water in a pressure cooker and add the drained, soaked lentils. Cook for 10-12 minutes and set aside.
• Crack and whisk the eggs until they are homogenous and add a pinch of salt to season. Heat half a tablespoon of mustard oil in a pan and add the beaten eggs. Scramble until they have mostly cooked through and set aside. Heat the remaining oil in the same pan and add the cumin seeds until they splutter.
• Smash the ginger and garlic into a coarse paste and add to the mustard oil. Cook until aromatic, followed by the green chillies and onions. Add a pinch of salt to the onions, turn up the heat and cook further, until the onions have browned lightly.
• Add in the cinnamon stick, followed by the tomatoes and cook down until the tomatoes have turned soft and begin to release its juices. Add the turmeric and chilli powders and combine everything thoroughly.
• Stir in the cooked masoor dal into this flavoursome mix and check for seasoning. Add a couple of tablespoons of water to deglaze the pan as well as facilitate the flavours to mingle. Throw back the scrambled eggs into this mix and let everything simmer for a couple of minutes.
• Garnish with plenty of chopped coriander and serve warm with rotis, turmeric rice or toasted sourdough bread.