Dal Tadka

Dal Tadka

I could write about many things that occupy my mind today. About me being away from home, nestled in the cosy comforts of my parents home for a long break, post the baby, about our current short break in Bangalore, about the shifting once I get back to Mumbai or I could simply go on and on about dal. It's going to be a while before life sets into a routine back home in Mumbai.  Dal tadka is the topic of today's conversation because it is going to be an important part of that routine.

Dal tadka or dal fry with Jeera Pulao is one of my favourite meals. Add a vegetable and a salad and it becomes a compete meal. Simple yet elegant! It is amazing how a meal of dal and rice can bring supreme comfort to one’s soul. Or eat this dal with roti and you have both nutrition and contentment in a plate.

Although there is a vast difference between Indian food served in the hotels and food cooked in Indian homes, dal tadka is one food that is probably also one of the most widely enjoyed both at home and in a restaurant. The dal or lentil used can vary and the seasoning can differ but a meal of dal and rice or dal and roti almost always warms an Indian heart. I'm yet to meet one who disagrees.

The technique for making dal tadka is almost always the same. Cook the dal of your choice and add a simple tadka, baghar or chaunk (seasoning) with ghee or vegetable oil and some spices. The variety can come in the form of the kind of dal used. It could be red gram dal, green gram dal, Bengal gram dal or black gram dal. I prefer to use red gram dal on a daily basis reserving the other dals in my pantry for occasional use during the week.

Dal Tadka/Dal Fry Recipe

You can use a variety of dals like mung dal, masoor dal, urad dal or channa dal, either in combination or individually. Adjust the consistency of the water according to taste. This is great served with jeera pulao or roti.

Ingredients:

For dal:
¾ cup (185 ml) Toovar/Arhar (red gram dal)
2 ½ cup (375 ml) water
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp ghee or vegetable oil
¼ tsp asafetida powder
For seasoning:
1 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
4 cloves
1" piece cinnamon
2 slit green chillies
2 tsp ginger paste
½ tsp asafetida powder
2 tomatoes chopped
2 tsp coriander seed powder (dhaniya)
1 tsp cumin seed powder (jeera)
½ tsp dry mango powder (amchur)
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1 ½ tsp salt
1 cup hot water

Method:

Prepare the dal:
Wash the dal in a colander over a running stream of water and soak it in 2 ½ cups water for about 15 to 20 minutes. In a pressure cooker, place the dal with the soaking water and turmeric, ghee and hing and give 3 whistles. Alternatively cook in a saucepan until the dal breaks down and is completely cooked, about 45 minutes. Mash the dal completely with a whisk and keep aside.

Prepare the seasoning:
In a wok or kadhai heat the ghee or vegetable oil over a medium low flame. Do not allow it to smoke. Stir in the cloves and the cinnamon. When the cloves puff up, add the asafetida, slit green chillies and ginger paste. Stir for a minute and then put in the chopped tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes are pulpy, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the coriander seed, cumin seed, dry mango and red chilli powders and cook for a couple of minutes more.

Assemble the dal:
Mix the prepared seasoning with the cooked dal. Put in the hot water, salt, chopped fresh coriander and bring to a boil.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Serves 4

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23 thoughts on “Dal Tadka

  1. Looking good anu! Its my favorite dish too. Nothing beats simple with rice & some pickle or vegetables on the side. Yum! Hope u & H are well:)

  2. The meal looks healthy and delicious. I definitely want to give this a try. Hope everything works out well for you!

  3. Am simply amazed that nothing stops you from being away from Divine Taste 🙂
    Neither of your babies, change of place, time and space or whatever!

    Dal Tadka is Divinity disguised 🙂

  4. Looks Yummy! I have always cooked the tomatoes with other seasonings first and then added the dal and let it cook for at least 10-15 mins and called it 'dal thadka' ! :P. But i suppose this is the right way of doing it. As usual i will once again enter my kitchen tomorrow a little wiser after having visited 'Divine Taste.' Might i add that I'm glad to have gotten an update as to what is happening at your end on the personal front too 🙂

  5. A very simplified recipe for Dal Tadka…tasted very good with hot steaming rice. Thanks a lot for the recipe.

  6. Tasty recipe.
    I got a million pound question.
    Can you cook Dal without pressure cooker?
    😉
    I can cook rice in pan, however not possible to cook dal without frying pan.

    I haven't ate dal for past 5 years since I moved to the UK 🙁

  7. Yes…you can cook dal without a pressure cooker. Soak the dal (toovar dal or moong dal, some other dals need to be soaked overnight) for 15 to 20 minutes and cook the dal in a saucepan. It would take longer than a pressure cooker to cook dal this way, about 45 minutes to an hour.

  8. hi this recipe is very refreshing, u cook well. hope u remember me ,i was ur senior in the school may be even in the college. i am really happy to c u after a long time , u r a good , well mannered girl, as i always saw u in the school, all the best for everything u do in ur life, especially cooking keep up the good work , awaiting for ur future recipes. bye

  9. Hi Anu, I made dal following your recipe yesterday. The only variations were,I used a combination of whole dals (Moong, Muth, Masoor) and used curry leaves also for seasoning.. It turned out just so good! The cloves and cinnamon give an awesome flavor and taste to the dish!

    Thank you 🙂

  10. Hi, Anu just wanted to make Dal tadka since long time saw in your blog and tried it yesterday…was very tasty..my kids liked it too.
    Thanks for sharing.Keep posting the Divinity..
    Bhuvana

  11. Hey! Your recipe of dal tadka was fantastic ! My mom made it today and it was so awesome that ive no words! A simple Dal has never tasted so gud. Thanks alot and do keep posting many more. 🙂

  12. Hey Anushruti !!

    I made dal tadka yesterday for dinner.. I must say they tasted heavenly !! Thanks a lot for this wonderful dal recipe.. 🙂

  13. Thanks a lot for this deliciously recipe. I used only toor dal and it was so good. My husband loved it a lot:)

  14. did this for second time and loved it absolutely. thanks for the recipe. what astounds me is the exact measurement for water even. it shows ur meticulous preparation for this site.

  15. […] few days earlier, I felt the need to eat something warm, light and a little spicy for dinner. Anushruti's Dal Tadka recipe. Her recipes are fail free, tasty and purely vegetarian and I have always enjoyed being a regular […]

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