Dal Tadka

Dal is a staple in my house. Hubby loves it, my kid loves it and I am not the exception. I try to make dal every other day. Today’s recipe is simple dal which is easy to make and delicious too. If you are running out of time but still want to make something simple and wholesome, this is definitely for you. Pair this with plain white rice and some fried papads on side and TA-DA, you got a dinner or lunch ready in 30 minutes.

This dal dish will be one of my all time favorite ways of making dal. I make this dal with arhar dal and masoor dal which is pressure cooked together and in the end I temper the dal with cumin seeds, garlic and dried red chill. Hence the name Dal Tadka. Tadka is nothing but a hindi term for tempering. Tempering – It is a method widely used in Indian cuisine, in which whole spices are heated in hot oil and then mixture is added to the final dish to enhance the flavor.

Dal tadka

Ingredients:

For dal:

1/4 cup arhar dal/split yellow dal lentils
1/4 cup masoor dal/split pink lentils
1 small-sized onion, chopped
1 medium-sized tomato, chopped
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/4 teaspoon garam masala powder
a pinch of asafoetida/hing
salt to taste
2 teaspoon oil
water to cook
1 tablespoon of ghee
chopped coriander leaves for garnish

For Tempering/Tadka:

1 tablespoon oil
1/2 cumin seeds
2 dried red chilli
1 big garlic cloves, grated
a pinch of asafoetida/hing

Method:

Mix both the dal together and wash them in several changes of tap water. Keep it aside.
Heat a pressure cooker, add oil and then add chopped onions and cook until it turns light brown in color, add grated ginger, chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, coriander powder, gram masala powder and salt to taste.
To the above masala, add dal and sufficient water and cook dal for about 3-4 whistles on medium-low heat. Once the pressure cooker cools down, open the lid and mash the dal until creamy and mashed.
Dal will be little thick after mashing up, add water for desired consistency. It should not be too thick or thin. Once the desired consistency is reached, give a boil, add a tablespoon of ghee and check for seasoning.
Cover the dal with lid and prepare tadka for the same. At this step you can add the tadka and mix the whole thing together. Or you can serve the dal with tempering on top of it.
Heat oil in a small pan, add cumin seeds, dried red chillies, a pinch of asafoetida, grated garlic and cook until garlic turns light brown in color.
Once done, pour the entire tempering into dal and serve. Sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves to serve.
Serve Dal tadka with plain white rice and roti. Enjoy!