Dal Tadka
Some of the best meals begin with lentils. Slow-cooked dal finished with a sizzling tempering of ghee, garlic and spices. Simple ingredients transformed by patience and a little heat. Comforting, nourishing and deeply satisfying.
- Author
- Motherland
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 40 minutes
- Servings
- 2
Ingredients
- Toor Dal / Pigeon Pea 1 cups
- Salt To your taste
- Turmeric Powder .5 tsp
- Water 3-4 cups
- Garlic Cloves 3-4
- Ginger .5 inch
- Green Chili (Serrano or Thai) 1 small
- Ghee or Oil (Olive, Avocado or Vegetable) 1.5 tbsp
- Cumin Seeds 1 tsp
- Coriander Powder 1.5 tsp
- Cumin Powder .5 tsp
- Red Onion Chopped .5 cup
- Tomatoes 2 medium
- Kashmiri Red Chili Powder .5 tsp
- Garam Masala .5 tsp
- Cilantro To taste
- Kasuri Methi 1 tsp
Directions
- Prepare the toor dal by cooking it with turmeric, salt, and 3 cups of water using a pressure cooker, Instant Pot, or by boiling in a pot until it reaches an 'al dente' texture. Set aside.
- While the dal is cooking, crush 4 large garlic cloves, .5 inch piece of ginger, and a green chili in a mortar and pestle. Set aside.
- Heat ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Once hot, add cumin seeds, crushed coriander seeds, and cloves. Sauté for a few seconds until fragrant.
- Add onions and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until they become soft and start to change color.
- Stir in the crushed garlic-ginger-green chili mixture and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the raw smell dissipates.
- Add chopped tomatoes along with .5 teaspoon of salt. Cover and cook for 7 to 8 minutes until the tomatoes are very soft and cooked
- Stir in coriander powder, garam masala, Kashmiri red chili powder, regular red chili powder, cilantro, and kasuri methi. Sauté the spices with the masala for about 30 seconds.
- Add the boiled dal to the pan and mix. If the dal appears too thick, add 1/2 cup of water. Let the dal simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
- For the tempering or tadka, heat 2 teaspoons of ghee in a small pan. Once hot, add 2 chopped garlic cloves, dried red chilies. Cook for about a minute until the garlic starts to change color. Add Kashmiri red chili powder, then remove the pan from heat. Pour the tempering over the dal and mix.
- Garnish it with cilantro and serve!
