Dal tadka
My recipe for restaurant style dal tadka, a North Indian dish of creamy lentils finished with a tempering or tadka of garlic, ginger and mustard seeds.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 165kcal
Equipment
- Pressure cooker or Instant Pot or saucepan with lid
- Saute pan or Dutch oven or saucepan
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup toor dal (arhar dal or toor dal or split pigeon peas)
- ⅓ cup masoor dal (pink lentils)
- ⅓ cup moong dal (split mung lentils)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
For first tadka
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 6-8 large cloves garlic (crush each clove by smacking it with a knife, then thinly slice it)
- 2 green chili peppers (like serrano, minced or finely chopped. For less heat in the recipe deseed or simply split the pepper in half instead of mincing it)
- ¼ cup cilantro (divided. Chop the cilantro, also called coriander leaves, finely)
- 1 large tomato (finely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder. You can sub with 1 tablespoon lemon juice, but if using lemon add it at the end of cooking)
- 1 tablespoon kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves. Crush in your palms when adding)
- Salt to taste
For second tadka
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1-inch piece ginger (julienned, or cut into thin strips)
- 2 dried red chili peppers (like Kashmiri red chili peppers or byadgi chili peppers, each broken into two. You can use Mexican arbol peppers, but they are spicier.)
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder (like paprika, optional)
Instructions
Cook dal
- Place the dals (rinse first) in a pressure cooker with turmeric and 3 cups water. Cook for three whistles if using an Indian style pressure cooker or for 10 minutes in an Instant Pot set to pressure-cook. Allow the cooker to release manually or force-release after 10 minutes.
- Whisk the dal until creamy. Set aside.
First tadka
- In a saute pan or Dutch oven heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add cumin seeds and, when they begin to darken, add the garlic. Saute the garlic for a few seconds until it turns lightly golden, then add in the green chili peppers followed by half the cilantro. Stir-fry for a few seconds.
- Add the tomatoes and saute a minute or two.
- Pour in the cooked dal and add a cup of water. Mix. You can add more water if you want a thinner consistency.
- Add the amchur and the kasoori methi. Add salt to taste. Mix well and bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer for five minutes. Stir a couple of times in between to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom.
Second tadka
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a small skillet. Once the oil is hot (not smoking) add the mustard seeds. They should begin to sputter right away. Add the julienned ginger and red chili peppers and stir-fry for a few seconds. You can also add some red chili powder (like paprika) to the oil if you want a bit more color and heat in the recipe, but this is optional.
- Pour the tadka over dal. Garnish with remaining cilantro.
Video
Notes
- Cook the lentils until they are mushy. That way they'll blend into a creamy consistency.
- Don't overcook the tomatoes. In many Indian recipes we reduce the tomatoes until the oil separates, but you don't want to go that far here. You want the tomatoes to retain their sweetness and their natural tanginess, so cook them for just a minute or two before adding the next ingredient.
- Make sure the tadka oil is hot. The oil should be very hot, but not smoking, before you add mustard seeds to it or they won't sputter.
- Don't walk away during the tadka. A tadka is a quick process and takes no more than a few seconds. Don't walk away from it to avoid burning the spices.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 165kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Potassium: 215mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 423IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 2mg