Dal Tadka is one of the favorite dals to be found at dhabas (roadside restaurants) along with ma sabat dal. The spicy tadka along with the ghee or butter or both makes it special. Whenever Cook was sick or on vacation and I was working late at the airport, my husband would pick up one of the dals along with tandoori rotis. It was always a treat as anyone who has tasted dhaba food will tell you. In spite of the visibly unhygienic look of the dhaba, we would sometimes pick up dals or rotis hoping the heat of the fire would kill all germs! Dal Tadka is traditionally a North Indian recipe and is enjoyed with roti or any kind of flatbread. I like it with rice. Once you serve any of the traditional relish, pickles, yogurt, and papads with the dals, it becomes a complete meal.
Though normally made with toor dal (ar-har/pigeon peas, today I am fixing it with a combination of toor dal and masoor dal (red lentils).
Dal Tadka (Spicy Tempered Lentils)
Ingredients
- 1 cup toor dal
- 1 cup masoor dal
- 1 tsp tumeric
- 1 tsp salt (or to your taste)
- 6 cups water
Tadka (Tempering) - Step 1
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 medium onion (chopped fine)
- 3 medium tomatoes (chopped)
- 1½ tbsp garlic and ginger paste
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- ⅛ tsp garam masala (more or less to your taste)
- ½ tsp chili powder (more or less to your taste)
- 2 tsp Kasturi methi (optional)
Tadka (Tempering) for Garnish - Step 2
- 2 tbsp desi ghee
- ¼ tsp asafetida (heeng)
- ¾ tsp cumin seeds
- 2 small whole dry red chilies (If you split them in half, the seeds are going to fire up the tadka so be careful if you do not want the lentils too spicy, chili hot! If you prefer, you can use a little red chili powder instead of the whole dry red chilies—all to your taste!)
Instructions
To Prepare
- Pick and clean the dals of any debris.
- Rinse in fresh water several times to get rid of any grit.
- Soak the Toor dal for at least 45 minutes and the masoor dal for 30 minutes. This will cut the cooking time, but you can skip this if you do not mind it simmering on the stove longer.
To Cook
- Add the dals and the rest of the ingredients above into a 6-quart pot and bring to boil on medium heat. Lower the heat a bit, partially cover, and simmer for 35-40 minutes till nearly done. Remember not to cover the pot full as dals tend to expand while cooking and over boil. Any froth that forms on top can be removed.
- If the water seems to dry during cooking, feel free to add more hot water. I say hot water as it does not interrupt the cooking process. You should be left with about 4 cups of dal, not too runny and not too thick unless it is your preference. Set aside.
Tadka (Tempering) - Step 1
- Heat oil in a sauté or saucepan on medium heat.
- Add the onions and saute for 4-5 minutes until it starts to brown.
- Now add the spice powders, stir for a minute, and then add the chopped tomatoes. Let it cook, occasionally stirring until the oil starts to surface.
- Pour into the cooked dal. Add a little hot water to the pan and be sure to scrape off the brown bits and add to the pan.
- Set the dal pot back on the stove and let simmer for 5-10 minutes to absorb all the tadka flavors.
- Pour into a serving dish.
Tadka (Tempering) for Garnish - Step 2
- Heat the ghee on medium heat in a small saucepan.
- Add the red chilies and give them about a minute to darken in color.
- Add the asafetida (heeng) and immediately after that the cumin seeds. Give it 30 seconds and then add the chilies (or and powder). Stir for 15 seconds and pour it over the center of the dal in the dish.
- Serve with rotis or any flat bread or rice accompanied with any of the usual arrays of Indian pickles, relish, raitas, plain yogurt, or papads.
–Photo by Priyadharshan Saba on Unsplash