Dal Tadka Recipe

Dal Tadka is one of the most popular North Indian side dishes made with split lentils, plenty of aromatic spices and herbs. It’s comforting, hearty and super delicious with a burst of flavors from a special tempering known as Tadka. This homemade version rivals any Indian restaurant & you will agree making delicious restaurant quality Dal Tadka at home is simpler than you thought.

Lentils is a staple in the Indian homes and is cooked in a zillion ways. The simplest version has dal simmered with aromatics and finished off with a fast tempering. This tempering is called as Tadka in Hindi and is also referred as chaunk, vaghar (Gujarati), talimpu (Telugu) and oggarne (Kannada) in other regional languages.

About Dal Tadka

While Dal is an Indian word for lentils, Tadka is a process of frying & blooming spices, herbs and garlic in fats such as ghee or oil. This step draws out the flavors from the spices and infuses to the ghee/oil. When the tadka is mixed with the dal, layers and layers of flavors are spread out to the entire dish.

This process is the same all over India, but the ingredients used vary slightly depending on the region. Ingredients like hing/asafoedita, garlic, red chilies, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves and red chili powder are most commonly used.

The restaurant versions of North Indian Dal Tadka are very popular because of their special tadka process. Though the ingredients used are almost the same as my recipe below, their tadka is what makes a huge difference.

Similar to the Chinese wok hey technique, a North Indian restaurant tadka produces tons of smoky flavors. Chefs use a metal kadai/wok and make the tadka on a large burner that produces higher flame. A dash of water is sprinkled into the tadka as it cooks, and this brings hot flames into the pan, creating a smoky magic!

However this technique requires expertise and is unsafe to do in a home environment. So to mimic the same flavors, I use the dhungar technique that involves smoking the cooked dal tadka with a red hot wood coal. The dish is still flavor packed without this smoking technique and I reserve this task only for special occasions.

Our everyday dal tadka is the simplest like the one I have shown in the Masoor dal recipe. This recipe involves cooking the lentils like this Dal Fry and then topped with a special tadka.

This dish is best served with steamed fluffy Basmati Rice or jeera rice. But it can also be eaten with flatbreads like Butter Naan, Tandoori Roti and Chapati/ roti.

Ingredients vs Substitutes

• Dal (Lentils): Split pigeon peas also known as toor dal or arhar dal is the most common lentil used to make this dal tadka. However any kind of lentils like red lentils (masoor dal), moong dal, chana dal or whole lentils can be used. Restaurants use a combination of lentils that includes toor dal, chana dal (for texture) and masoor dal (or moong dal) for flavor. I use the same combination here but you are free to use only toor dal.
• Aromatics: Onions, fresh ginger and garlic are used for flavour and texture. The ground versions of these do not work as substitutes.
• Tomatoes: Good quality ripe tomatoes enhance the flavour of your dal tadka. While fresh tomatoes are more commonly used in Indian cuisine, you can use peeled or diced canned tomatoes if fresh is not available. Tomato puree/ passata and tomato paste are not great to use in this recipe.
• Chilies: You will use fresh green chilies like Indian or Thai chilies for heat and flavour. You may omit them if you do not have or use serrano peppers or jalapenos (not a close substitute). Dried red chilies are used in the tadka to impart a smoky and pungent flavour to the dish. You may use red chili flakes after turning off the heat. This gives somewhat closer flavor.
• Ground spices: Turmeric, garam masala and red chili powder are the essentials of this recipe. You may use a store bought garam masala but I use homemade. For a low heat option, use Kashmiri red chili powder or low heat chili flakes.
• Kasuri methi is dried fenugreek leaves and these impart North Indian flavors to your dal. There is no substitute to this.
• Lemon juice or amchur: I prefer using fresh lemon juice while serving. But if you want you may include 1 teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder) at the finishing stage. It gives a fruity tangy flavour.

Essentials of a Tadka

• Ghee: Traditionally ghee is used for flavor and health benefits. But you may use an oil that has a high smoke point like coconut oil, avocado, grape seed etc.
• Whole Spices: Mustard, cumin, dried red chilies are the 3 ingredients you can use. I don’t use mustard seeds for this recipe because the North Indian restaurant version usually does not have mustard seeds.
• Garlic: Sliced or crushed garlic is used to infuse garlicky flavors to the dal. If you don’t eat garlic you may substitute with fresh ginger.
• Hing: Also known as asafoetida is a key ingredient in the tadka. It is a gum resin and is used to impart a robust flavour. It is used in a very small quantity as a digestive aid. Most brands selling it include a small amount of gluten. So look for a brand that makes it gluten-free, if that is your diet requirement.
• Curry leaves: As I mentioned earlier, this is a North Indian restaurant style dal tadka so it does not include curry leaves. However I have included it as an optional ingredient. If you have fresh leaves, use them.

Photo Guide

Step by Step Photo Instructions

If you do not have a cooker, it is best to soak the dal in 3 cups hot water for at least 30 minutes. This will shorten the cooking time.

Cook Dal

1. Add 1 cup dal to a pressure cooker or a regular pot. I use ¾ cup toor dal (split skinned pigeon peas), ¼ cup moong dal & 2 tablespoons chana dal (Bengal gram). You can use only toor dal if you want. Feel free to replace moong dal with masoor dal or toor dal and skip chana dal. But you know the combo I mentioned gives you the best.

2. Rinse them well at least 4 times, rubbing with your fingers. You should see the water clear during your last rinse.

3. Add 3 cups fresh water and close the cooker. Pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles on a medium heat. You may need to cook for more whistles depending on your cooker. If using Instant pot, cook for 10 minutes on a high pressure.

To cook in a pot, Bring the soaked dal along with the water, to a rolling boil on a high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook uncovered till soft, mushy and cooked through. It can take about 20 to 30 mins depending on the age of lentils. If the pan is drying out add half to 1 cup more hot water as you cook. Old lentils take more water. Remove any scum that comes on top of the dal and discard it.

Make the Masala

4. While the dal cooks, make the first tempering. In a medium pan, heat 1½ to 2 tablespoons oil, add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and fry lightly until they begin to splutter.

5. Add 1 tablespoon fine chopped garlic and ginger (equal quantities). Fry them lightly until aromatic. Do not brown.

6. Then add ⅓ to ½ cup fine chopped onions & 1 green chilli (slit or chopped). You may skip the chilli if you intend to serve kids. Fry till the onions are translucent, stirring from time to time.

7. Reduce the heat. Add ¼ teaspoon turmeric, ½ to ¾ teaspoon red chilli powder and ½ teaspoon garam masala. Stir through well.

8. Add 1 cup deseeded and fine chopped tomatoes. Also add 1 teaspoon salt.

9. Sauté till tomatoes are softened. If you want you can also saute for 2 to 3 mins and then cook covered.

10. Meanwhile check if the dal is done in your pressure cooker. Let the pressure drop on its own, then open the cooker. Dal has to be soft cooked and mushy. This is the texture you get to see. Toor dal and moong dal is almost mushy but chana dal has some texture. Stir and mash lightly, we don’t want the chana dal to be completely dissolved.

11. At this stage, you may add some hot boiling water to the dal to adjust the consistency, as required. I had to pour about ¾ cup. This depends on the quality and kind of dal you used.

12. When the onion tomato mixture is ready, add it to the cooked dal & mix.

13. Simmer for 6 to 7 minutes so the flavors blend. Bring it to the consistency you want at this stage. Also note that dal will become thick upon cooling. I prefer an almost runny consistency. Taste test and add more salt if required. Also crush 1 tablespoon kasuri methi in between your palms and add it to the hot boiling dal. If you want you may add 1 teaspoon amchur at this stage. I prefer lemon juice to stir in at the time of serving. Give a good mix and add coriander leaves. I forgot to add the coriander leaves here. Turn off the heat.

Optional – Smoke the dal (Dhungar)

14. This step is optional and you may skip this. For the restaurant flavors you have to smoke the dal. Place a small tall steel cup in the center of the pot. With a tong, hold a piece of wood coal over direct fire, like a candle or a lighter until a little portion of the coal becomes red and hot. This takes less than 2 minutes. Carefully place that in the cup. Pour half teaspoon ghee over the hot coal. You will see smoke immediately.

15. Cover the pot with a lid. Let the dal smoke for about 3 to 4 minutes. Then remove the cup from the dal and transfer to a serving bowl.

Make Tadka

16. In a small pan melt 2 tablespoons ghee. Add ½ to ¾ teaspoon cumin seeds, ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds (optional, North Indian style does not use) and sauté over low heat until the spices crackle and turn aromatic.

17. Mix in 2 whole dried red chilies.

18. Add ½ to 1 tablespoon fine chopped garlic and fry lightly until aromatic. Do not brown the garlic as it can taste bitter. I do not add curry leaves, if you want you may add a sprig of curry leaves (about 8 to 10 leaves, pat dry first before adding to the pan)

19. Mix in ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida and ⅓ teaspoon red chilli powder. Immediately remove from heat.

20. Pour the hot tadka over the dal. Garnish dal tadka with coriander leaves before serving.

Serving Suggestions

This dal tadka pairs very well with any kind of roti, chapati, paratha, butter naan or plain steamed rice. At home we often serve this with fluffy Basmati Rice, Jeera rice or ghee rice. There is no hard and fast rule and you can make the dal of the consistency you want.

Some people prefer to make a somewhat thinner version to eat with rice, whereas with rotis, the thicker version is preferred.

It is often served with a dry or almost dry curried vegetable dish, papad, pickle, salad like this kachumber and some cut lemon. Simple jeera aloo goes well with this dal, though you can make any kind of vegetable or mixed vegetable dishes with it.

Some people prefer to have a basic dal rice or dal roti meal without anything else except perhaps accompaniments like papad, pickle, and sliced onions. It is a complete and nutritionally rich meal and a comfort food for many and a staple in Indian diets. So experiment & serve with what you like.

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