Dal Tadka

Name: Dal Tadka
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian, Punjab
Ingredients: ¾ cup Toor dal; ¼ cup Yellow moong dal; ½ tsp Turmeric; 1 Onion, finely chopped; 2 Tomatoes, chopped; 1 inch Ginger, grated; 2 Green chillies, slit; 1 ½ tsp Salt; 2 tbsp Ghee; 1 tsp Cumin seeds; ¼ tsp Asafoetida; 5 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced; 2 Dried red chillies; ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder; 2 tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped

Yellow toor and moong dal cooked soft with onion and tomato, then finished with a sizzling ghee tadka of cumin, garlic and red chilli.

Prep 10 min · Cook 30 min · Total 40 min · Serves 4

Ingredients

Dal

¾ cup Toor dal
¼ cup Yellow moong dal
½ tsp Turmeric
1 Onion, finely chopped
2 Tomatoes, chopped
1 inch Ginger, grated
2 Green chillies, slit
1 ½ tsp Salt

Tadka

2 tbsp Ghee
1 tsp Cumin seeds
¼ tsp Asafoetida
5 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
2 Dried red chillies
½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
2 tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped

Method

Pressure-cook. Cook both dals with the turmeric and 3 cups water for 3 to 4 whistles, until completely soft. In a pot, simmer covered for about 40 minutes.
Make the masala. In a separate pan, heat 1 tbsp of the ghee, soften the onion, then add the ginger, chillies and tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are mushy.
Simmer. Whisk the dal smooth, pour it into the masala with the salt and simmer, adding hot water until it's pourable but not thin.
Tadka. Heat the remaining ghee until hot, add the cumin and asafoetida, then the garlic. When the garlic turns golden, add the red chillies, take off the heat and stir in the chilli powder.
Serve. Pour the sizzling tadka over the dal, top with coriander and serve with jeera rice or rotis.

Tips

For the dhaba smoky flavour, set a piece of red-hot charcoal in a small steel bowl on the dal, pour 1/2 tsp ghee over it and cover the pot for 2 minutes.