Simple Indian Dal Tadka

Almost every Indian will have some memory of 'dal chawal' at home (i.e. lentil rice). Lentils form the basis for many Indian vegetarian dishes, and are often the main source of protein as well. There's so many different types of lentils, and many of them can be used to make this dal. Read on to find out about the types of lentils and the 'tadka' (i.e. tempering) process.

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Jump to:

• 🍲 What is dal tadka?
• 💭 Why you'll love this recipe
• 📋 Ingredients & Notes
• 📖 How do you make dal tadka?
• 🥣 Storage & serving suggestions
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

🍲 What is dal tadka?

Dal refers to lentils. Tadka means "tempering" (infusing fat, typically oil or ghee, with spices and aromatics). This involves heating oil or ghee, adding spices like cumin seeds, dried red chili peppers, and curry leaves to infuse flavors into the oil. This flavored oil is poured on top of the completed dish. So, dal tadka or tadka dal is basically a simmered lentil base with the tempering poured on top.

Restaurant style dal tadka also often involves a 'dhungar' process (which adds a smoky note by using charcoal). However, most home recipes are quite simple, and do not need this step to pack a punch with flavors. Oh, and if you're interested in mastering Indian home cooking - don't forget to sign up for my Indian Cooking 101 email series!

💭 Why you'll love this recipe

I believe in creating authentic flavors without the complexity of many "single use" ingredients. So, I think you'll love this recipe because:

• Simple and ready in one hour: My recipe is simple and does not use too many complicated ingredients. In fact, most ingredients and spices can be found at most local grocery stores or online - no need to go to a specialty store
• Authentic flavors: This recipe is my mother's and grandmother's exact recipe, so it's been tested over two generations (at the very least) - you know you can trust it!

📋 Ingredients & Notes

My recipe is a simple yellow dal recipe. It uses toor dal for the main lentil base. You can also substitute this with other readily available yellow or red lentils (see note below). It then uses tomatoes, onions, Thai green chili peppers and red chili powder for the base. I use ghee, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and red chili powder for the tadka (i.e. tempering).

Ingredient Notes

• Types of Lentils: This recipe uses toor dal (i.e. split yellow pigeon peas). I recommend stocking up since it's the backbone of most lentil dishes in India. You could also use masoor dal (Indian red lentils) or moong dal (split green gram) in this recipe (and can find them on Amazon or Indian grocery stores). In a pinch, you can use any dried red lentils from the grocery store (check cook times on packaging!).
• Use of Peppers: I buy Thai chili, but Serrano peppers work too - make sure to chop them, and then seed them if you don't want the full spice hit). I've used dry red chilis as well but you can omit this if you don't have an Indian store nearby or can't purchase online
• Whole vs. ground spices: Many Indian dishes will use both the whole spices and the ground spices to enhance the overall flavor of the dish. If you don't have whole spices (e.g. cumin seeds) - skip that part and just use the ground spices. It'll still taste great!
• Vegan substitutions: If you're vegan, I recommend using vegan butter instead of the ghee - this will alter the taste a bit, but no reason to not enjoy the dish!

📖 How do you make dal tadka?

Regardless of the lentil, there are three steps for making dal tadka. This includes cooking the lentils, making the base, and then adding the tadka.

Clean and cook the lentils until they're tender

Sift through lentils to remove small particles or stones (it's unlikely you'll find any but good to make sure!). Then, measure lentils, rinse them thoroughly until the rinsed water runs mostly clear (typically, twice, but sometimes it can take a couple of tries)

Once lentils are clean, add them to a fresh pot of water. Then, close the lid and bring to a boil. If it foams, skim it off, turn down the stove to a simmer and cook until tender (30 - 45 minutes depending on type and age of lentil).

When it's done cooking, lentils should be tender. If they look too or feel too "thick", meaning it's cooked through but not fluid, add a bit of water (~¼th to ½ cup does the trick). Set this aside.

For Instant Pot or similar pressure cookers: you only need 2.5 cups of water. You also don't need to soak the lentils beforehand if you're going this route. With a pressure cooker, wait for 7 to 8 whistles. With an Instant Pot, cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Allow natural pressure release for 10 minutes, and then use manual valve to release the rest.

Two important factors to consider while cooking lentils:

• When they are fresh, they take ~20 - 45 minutes to cook stove-top. Moong dal takes 20 minutes, toor dal about 30 minutes, and masoor dal takes about 45 minutes. In a pressure cooker or an Instant Pot, all the lentils take roughly 8-9 minutes. With a pressure cooker, wait 3 whistles for moong dal, 5 for toor, and 7 for masoor.
• The older they are, the longer they take to cook. If you cook to directions, and find your lentils are not soft? Just cook them a bit longer (add boiling hot water to pot if needed, you can drain later).

Make the base for dal (before the tadka)

Add ghee to the same pan. Add cumin seeds and toast them quickly until fragrant. Fry onions and green chili peppers

You could also add garlic at the end of this stage if you wish but this is optional. Then, add the tomatoes, some coriander powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, and cilantro. Mix the spices well and fry until soft (about 5-8 minutes). If you're vegan, you can use avocado oil in place of the ghee. Paprika works well as a substitute too.

Add cooked lentils (along with water if you think it's too "thick"). Let it cook on a simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. While the dal is cooking, make the tadka!

Tadka (i.e. tempering with spices and aromatics)

I typically use ghee to temper since it really brings out the flavors. However, avocado oil works just as well if you're vegan. The steps are different for fresh spices vs. ground spices.

If you're using fresh spices, heat the oil or ghee first. Then, add mustard seeds, and cumin seeds and Indian dried red chili if you're using that. Then, add the red chili powder. Saute together and set aside.

If you're using ground spices, heat the oil or ghee. Then, add mustard seeds, and all ground spices together - cumin, and chili powder. Cook until this is thick and saucy. When the base is done cooking, add the tadka on top of it and mix well. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve hot!

🥣 Storage & serving suggestions

You can store the dal in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5-6 days. Reheat only the portion you want to eat, and not the whole container. If you want to freeze it, portion into airtight containers and pop in the freezer. When ready to eat, just thaw first for 30 minutes. Then, heat on stove top or microwave until its piping hot, and enjoy! It saves for up to 3 months!

I love to eat this dal tadka with either rice (like my delicious, cumin infused rice, i.e. jeera rice) or with a simple flatbread like roti or my favorite homemade naan.

If you like this, don't forget to check out my other Indian recipes:

If you try this recipe, please consider leaving a comment and a star rating. Don't forget to tag #urbanfarmie on Instagram or @urbanfarmie on Pinterest!

📖 Recipe