Dal Tadka Recipe

Dal Tadka Recipe

Restaurant style dal tadka: toor and chana dal pressure cooked, simmered in an onion and tomato masala and finished with a ghee, garlic and red chilli tadka.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup split red gram (toor dal)
• 1/3 cup split Bengal gram (chana dal)
• 1/4 cup coriander, finely chopped
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 large tomato, finely chopped
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tbsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida
• 1 green chilli, finely chopped
• 3–4 tbsp cooking oil
• 3–4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2–3 tbsp ghee
• 2–3 cloves
• Cinnamon stick
• 2 dry red chillies
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Wash the dal. In a bowl, mix the toor and chana dal and wash them with water 2 to 3 times. You can soak them for 15 to 20 minutes, which is optional.
2. Pressure cook. Put a pressure cooker on the flame and add the washed dal, 3 cups of water, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, salt to taste and 1 tbsp cooking oil. Stir. Once it boils, stir again and put the lid on.
3. Whistles. Cook on a medium flame for 5 whistles. Turn off the flame and let the cooker cool down completely.
4. Temper. In a big pan over medium heat, add oil, then the cumin seeds, cinnamon stick and cloves.
5. Cook the onion. Add the chopped onion and a pinch of salt to quicken the process. Cook on a medium flame for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onion turns golden.
6. Add the masala. Add the green chilli, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala and finally the coriander powder. Mix well and cook for half a minute, until the raw aroma of ginger goes away.
7. Cook the tomato. Add the tomatoes, mix well and cover the pan with a lid. Cook on a medium flame for 5 to 6 minutes.
8. Stir the dal. Meanwhile, open the cooker and give the dal a good stir.
9. Add the dal. Add the boiled dal to the masala. Once the dal boils, add the finely chopped coriander and mix well. Cover with a lid for 1 to 2 minutes.
10. Adjust the consistency. Mix well. If the dal turns out thick, add lukewarm water. Turn off the flame and transfer to a serving bowl. This is dal fry; for dal tadka, carry on with the tadka.
11. Make the tadka. In a shallow pan, heat 2 tbsp ghee. Add the asafoetida and garlic and mix well. Make a slight slit in the dry red chillies and add them. Once the garlic turns golden, turn off the flame.
12. Finish. Just before pouring the tadka into the dal, add red chilli powder and stir well. Pour the tadka over the dal and serve.

Recipe by Siddhi Panchal.