Classic Dal Tadka Recipe with Fresh Ingredients

Dal is comfort food for millions of people. It is also one of the cheapest, most nutritious meals you can cook. Lentils, water, spices, a spoon of ghee. Dinner for four for under $10.

There are dozens of regional dal recipes. This is the everyday dal tadka that most North Indian homes cook without even thinking about it. Simple, satisfying, reliably good.

What you need

For the dal

• 1 cup toor dal (split pigeon pea), or substitute with moong dal for a quicker cook
• 3 cups water
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1 medium tomato, chopped

For the tadka (the tempering)

• 2 tablespoons ghee (or oil if you prefer)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds (optional but recommended)
• 4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 1 inch ginger, grated
• 2 green chillies, slit lengthwise
• 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1/2 teaspoon asafoetida (hing), optional
• Fresh coriander to garnish, generously

Everything on this list is in our Indian grocery section. Fresh coriander, green chillies, ginger and garlic are in the fresh produce area.

Method

Cook the dal

1. Wash the dal in a few changes of water until the water runs clear. This takes a minute and makes a big difference to the final texture.
2. Pressure cook with 3 cups water, turmeric and salt for 4 whistles (about 15 minutes). If you do not have a pressure cooker, simmer in a pot with extra water for 40 minutes or until the lentils are completely soft and breaking down.
3. Add chopped tomato to the cooked dal and simmer for 5 more minutes. Mash roughly with the back of a spoon. You want some texture, not a smooth purée.

Make the tadka

1. Heat the ghee in a small pan over medium-high heat. It needs to be properly hot, not warm.
2. Add cumin and mustard seeds. They will crackle. When the crackling slows, they are done.
3. Add garlic, ginger and chillies. Fry for 30 seconds until the garlic is just turning golden. Do not burn it. Burnt garlic is bitter and ruins the dal.
4. Add Kashmiri chilli powder and asafoetida. Stir once, then immediately pour the whole tadka into the dal. It should hiss and sizzle when it hits.
5. Stir through the dal. Finish with fresh coriander. Done.

What makes a good dal tadka different from an average one

Three things:

• Fresh garlic and ginger, not paste. The flavour of freshly sliced garlic in hot ghee is impossible to replicate from a jar. Same for fresh grated ginger.
• Real Kashmiri chilli powder. It is not just for heat. It is for colour and a specific fruity, smoky flavour. Regular chilli powder is sharper and thinner.
• The tadka must be hot. The whole point is that the fat hits the dal when it is screaming hot, releasing all the aromatics at once. A lukewarm tadka is wasted effort.

Serving

Steamed basmati rice is the classic pairing. Chapati or paratha for a North Indian plate. A simple cucumber raita on the side. A wedge of lime. Done.

This reheats beautifully. In fact, dal tends to taste better the next day. The flavours settle. Make a double batch if you have the time.

Variations

Swap toor dal for masoor dal (red split lentils) for a faster cook (20 minutes). Add a handful of baby spinach at the end for dal palak. Finish with a squeeze of lime for lighter, zingier dal. Use only moong dal for a lighter, everyday version.

If you are new to Indian cooking, dal tadka is a good place to start. It teaches you the tadka technique, which is the foundation of most Indian home cooking. Once you can do a good dal, you can do a lot.