Dal Tadka is a quintessential, soul warming, North Indian comfort food. I used to think it was a ‘simple’ dish, until I attempted cooking it. Only then did I realize how much more there was to it. There are several ingredients and steps involved in this recipe and it took me a few attempts to master it, to get the right texture and flavor. It was totally worth the effort though. This dal is so good!
Tadka
Tadka is the Hindi word for the process of tempering a dish. In this technique, herbs and spices are roasted in oil or ghee (clarified butter), thereby allowing the spices to release their oils and aromas to infuse into the food. This tempering process completely changes the flavor, aroma and taste of the dish and bumps it up by several notches.
Dhungar
Taking tadka a step further, dhungar (another Hindi term) is the process by which charcoal smoke is infused into the tempering. This gives the dish a smoky flavor you may have experienced with a restaurant made dal. I have skipped this process since I feel the dish tastes fabulous even without the smokiness.
Lentils for Dal Tadka
Lentil Varieties
Undoubtedly, lentils are the biggest source of protein for vegetarians. While vegetables are a great source of nutrition and should form at least 60-70% of your average daily food intake, they do not provide enough protein. If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, it is good to sneak dal into your menu for at least one meal a day.
I use two different lentils in this recipe-toor dal (split pigeon pea) and yellow mung. I like to pressure cook lentils for at least 20 minutes or more, since they need to be nice and mushy. If you don’t own a pressure cooker or an IP, make sure you soak the lentils for at least 4-6 hours before cooking them on the stove top. In either case it is a good practice to soak lentils.
Toor dal is an excellent source of nutrients and plant protein, and contains dietary fiber. Toor dal contains folic acid, an important vitamin for all women. Mung beans are a high source of nutrients including manganese, potassium, magnesium, folate, copper, zinc and various B vitamins. They are also a very filling food, high in protein, resistant starch and dietary fiber.
Check out other delicious lentil recipes:
- Sambar
- Dal Makhni
- Cucumber Dal
- Tomato Fenugreek Dal
- Methi (Fenugreek Leaves) Dal
- Andhra Tomato Pappu
- Yellow Mung Detox Soup
- Healthy Mung-Radish Greens Dal
- Rainbow Chard Lentil Stew
- Opo Squash Yellow Mung Curry
- Mamidikaya Pappu- Raw Mango Dal
- Cabbage Kootu: Cabbage & Lentil Stew
- South Indian Palak Dal – Spinach & Lentils Stew
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Delicious Dal Tadka!
Ingredients
- 2 Cloves Garlic - Diced
- 1 Teaspoon Ginger - Diced
- 1 Pepper Green Chili Pepper - Fine cut
- 1/4 Cup Tomato - Fine cut
- 1/2 Cup Onion - Fine cut
- 1/2 Cup Toor Dal - Split Pigeon Peas
- 1/2 Cup Yellow Mung
- 1/2 Cup Cilantro - Chopped
- 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Red Chili Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Asafoetida (Hing)
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1 Pepper Dry Red Chili
- 1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt - (or to taste)
- 2 Tablespoons Ghee - Organic
Instructions
- Make sure you have these ready before you start cooking: 1. Pressure cooked lentils (toor and mung dal cooked together under high pressure for at least 20 minutes) 2. Diced ginger and garlic (1 clove), fine cut tomato, onion, green chili pepper 3. Chopped cilantro 4. Turmeric and red chili powder (or cayenne pepper) 5. Diced garlic (1 clove), cumin seeds, dry chili pepper and asefetida (hing).
- Set Instant Pot (IP) on 'saute' mode, add ghee. Once the 'hot' sign comes up, add onion and diced ginger/garlic. Cook for a minute or more till onion turns slightly brown.
- Now add tomatoes, chili peppers and cook for a couple of minutes. Add turmeric, red chili powder and mix well.
- Add pressure cooked lentils, salt, half a cup of water and mix well.
- Add cilantro, mix well and turn IP off. Transfer dal to a serving container.
- Heat ghee in a pan on a stove top. Add tadka ingredients (diced garlic, cumin, dry chili pepper). Cook till garlic turns brown, add hing and mix well.
- Add tadka to the dal and serve hot (mix well before serving).
