Dal Tadka Recipe
A comforting, protein-rich Indian dal simmered with spices and topped with a garlicky tadka. Smoky, flavorful, and nourishing perfect with rice or naan for a wholesome meal.
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Calories: 213kcal
Servings: 4
Equipment
- Pressure cooker or deep saucepan
- Small tempering pan or tadka pan
- Mixing spoon or ladle
- Bowl (for rinsing lentils)
- Tongs (if using charcoal for dhungar method)
Ingredients
For cooking lentils:
- 1 cup or 200 grams tuvar dal (arhar dal, tur dal or split pigeon pea lentils) or ½ cup tuvar dal + ½ cup masoor dal (split red lentils)
- 1 to 2 green chilies or serrano peppers – chopped or slit lengthwise
- ½ cup onions – chopped
- 1 cup tomatoes – finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger – finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 pinch asafoetida hing, optional
- 2.5 cups water – for pressure cooking
- 1 tablespoon light cream or low fat cream optional
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves – chopped (cilantro)
- salt as required
For tempering or tadka:
- 3 tablespoon oil or 3 tablespoon ghee clarified butter
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 5 to 6 garlic cloves – finely chopped small to medium-sized
- 2 to 3 dry red chilies – broken and seeds removed
- 1 generous pinch of asafoetida hing, optional
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi – crushed (dry fenugreek leaves), optional
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri Chilli Powder or cayenne pepper or paprika
For garnish:
- 1 to 2 tablespoons coriander leaves – chopped cilantro
For dhungar method:
- 1 small piece of natural charcoal
- ¼ teaspoon oil or ghee clarified butter
Instructions
- Rinse the dal and pressure cook with water, turmeric, green chilies, onion, tomato, ginger, and salt until soft.
- Mash lightly and simmer with garam masala and cream (optional).
- Heat ghee or oil in a small pan for tadka.
- Add cumin seeds, garlic, dry red chilies, hing, and chili powder. Sauté until aromatic.
- Pour the hot tadka over the cooked dal and mix well.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
- (Optional) For smoky flavor, place hot charcoal in a bowl inside the dal, add ghee on top, cover for 1 minute.
- Serve hot with rice, garlic naan, or pickled tomatoes.
Nutrition
Calories: 213kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 60mg | Potassium: 303mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 630IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg