Indian dal tadka

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Published on main spring summer fall winter

Ingredients

Dal

  • 1–2 cups lentils (mix different types), rinsed
  • 0.5 tsp tumeric powder
  • 1.5 tsp salt
  • 3.5 cups water
  • 4 large garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1.5 cm ginger, crushed
  • 1 green chili, crushed
  • 1.5 tbsp ghee (or oil)
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds, crushed
  • 2 cloves
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 2 tomatoes (or tomato puree), chopped
  • 0.5 tsp coriander powder
  • 0.25 tsp garam masala
  • 0.25 tsp red chili powder
  • 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
  • 1 tbsp fenugreek leaves, crushed
  • 2 carrots, diced optional

Tempering (tadka)

  • 2 tsp ghee
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 dried red chilies
  • 0.25 tsp hing (also known as asafœtida) optional
  • 0.25 tsp red chili powder optional

Instructions

Dal

  1. Crush the garlic cloves, ginger and 1green chili in a mortar pestle and set it aside.
  2. In a heavy bottom pan, heat the ghee on medium heat. Once hot, add the cumin seeds, crushed coriander seeds and cloves. Saute for few seconds until fragrant.
  3. Then add onions, cook for around 3 to 4 minutes until they are soft and start changing color.
  4. Add the crushed garlic-ginger-green chili. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the raw smell goes away.
  5. Add the optional carrots, chopped tomatoes along with 1/2 teaspoon salt and mix. Cover and cook for 7 to 8 minutes until tomatoes are very soft and cooked.
  6. Then add the coriander powder, garam masala, red chili powder, and cilantro. Stir the spices with the masala for 30 seconds.
  7. Add the raw lentils to the pot with water, turmeric powder, and salt. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 30 minutes. The texture should be more liquid than your ideal version as the mixture thickens as it cools down.

Tempering (Tadka)

  1. Heat the ghee in a small pan. Once the ghee is hot, add the chopped garlic cloves. Also add hing and dried red chilies.
  2. Cook for one minute until the garlic starts changing color. Add kashmiri red chili powder, remove pan from heat.
  3. Pour tempering over the dal and mix.
  4. Optional but recommended: For the dhungar method, place a steel bowl on top of a trivet placed inside the dal. Then heat a piece of charcoal over direct heat until it's red hot.
  5. Place hot charcoal in that steel bowl on top of the trivet. Pour melted ghee (around 1 tablespoon) on top of charcoal. You will immediately see fumes coming out of charcoal.
  6. Immediately close the pan with a lid. Let it remain like this for 5 to 10 minutes. After 5 to 10 minutes, remove lid and remove the bowl from dal.
  7. The longer you keep the lid closed, the smokier dal will get, so don't do more than 10 minutes.
  8. Garnish dal tadka with more cilantro and serve!

Adapted from this original recipe