Restaurant style dal tadka recipe

Dal is a staple in indian food. india has so many varieties of dal recipes. each region, each state having their own delicious recipes. 

This dal tadka is north indian style than south indian style. you can make the dal tadka with any yellow dal (split lentils). i make this creamy lentil dish sometimes with with arhar dal (split pigeon pea lentils) and masoor dal (split pink lentils) and sometimes only with arhar dal.

The preparation is easy. First make the dal and then lastly temper it just before serving. You can also make the dal ready and keep in the fridge. before serving heat the dal and then just temper it. serve immediately.

The tempering adds a lot of flavor and aroma to the dal. the plain cooked creamy yellow dal gets paired beautifully with steamed rice or jeera rice (cumin flavored pilaf). I have added tomatoes to the dal tadka but you can skip adding tomatoes. for tempering you can add ghee instead of oil. I have used sunflower oil.

the dal tadka can be served with rotis and chapatis and steamed basmati rice or jeera rice. at times i flavor the dal tadka with a smoky burnt aroma of blazing charcoal. in the step by step pics below, i have illustrated this method as i have got a few comments and requests for this technique. this method is called the dhungar in hindi. you can easily skip this method, if you don’t have charcoal.

lets start step by step dal tadka recipe:

1. rinse the lentils and add them to the pressure cooker. the below pic shows only tuvar or arhar dal. you can also cook the lentils in a pot. just soak the lentils for an hour or two before you cook them in a pot. cooking the lentils in a pot, will take more time than cooking in the pressure cooker. method on how to cook lentils in a pot is mentioned in the notes section of recipe details below.

2. to the lentils, add chopped onions, tomato, green chilies, ginger.

3. pour 2.5 cups water. if cooking in a pot, then about 4 to 4.5 cups water can be added.

4. add turmeric powder/haldi and asafoetida/hing.

5. stir well.

6. pressure cook the lentils for about 7 to 8 whistles or more till they become soft and creamy. mash the dal with a wired whisk or with a spoon and keep aside. if the dal looks thick, then add some water. about ½ cup to 1 cup water (depending on the thickness of the dal) to get a medium consistency. simmer the dal for 3 to 4 minutes. consistency of the lentils in the below pic.

7. once the desired consistency is reached, add cream (optional), garam masala powder, crushed kasuri methi, chopped coriander leaves and salt. switch off the fire. please note crushed kasuri methi can also be added in the tempering later and skipped at this step.

8. mix well so that everything combines uniformly. check salt before you add the tempering. if less than add more salt.

9. the final consistency of the dal.

10. next is the dhungar method of flavoring the dal with the smoky fumes of burnt charocal. for this with the help of tongs or on a grill pan like shown in the pic below, place a small piece of charcoal. burn the charcoal till it becomes red hot. please use natural charcoal for this method. note that this is an optional step and you can proceed directly to the tempering method.

11. place the red hot charcoal in a small steel bowl. you can also use onion layers or a halved hollow onion for the same.

12. pour about 1/4 tsp of oil or ghee on the charcoal. you will see fumes emanating as soon as you pour oil or ghee on the hot charcoal.

13. place this bowl on the dal.

14. cover the cooker or the pot with a lid and let the dal get infused with the charcoal smoke. just keep for 1 to 2 minutes. the more you keep. the more smoky the dal will become. remove the bowl carefully with the helps of tongs and cover the dal. keep aside.

15. tadka method- next heat oil or ghee or butter in a small pan. first add cumin seeds and crackle them. the cumin should get fried and not be raw, but don’t burn them.

16. now add red chilies, asafoetida and chopped garlic. let the garlic brown and the red chilies change color.

17. lastly add kasuri methi (add kasuri methi, if you have not added them before to the dal) and red chili powder. stir and switch off the stove. make sure to fry the tempering ingredients at a low flame, so that you don’t burn them.

18. pour the entire tempering along with the oil/ghee into the dal.

19. you can mix the dal or serve the dal tadka with the tempering on top it. garnish dal tadka with coriander leaves. serve dal tadka hot with steamed basmati rice, jeera rice or with rotis or phulkas.