Indian Dal Tadka (easy Yellow Lentil Curry)
A delicious Indian dish made with lentils, spices and herbs.
A delicious Indian dish made with lentils, spices and herbs. Besides being nutritious, it’s a comfort food that’s easy to make! Dal tadka is a basic, yet popular dal recipe that is served in many Indian restaurants. The Indian dal can be served as a side dish together with rice or, if the dal is made with thick consistency, could be served with naan or chapati.
I lived for a number of years in India, and whenever I went to an Indian restaurant, dal was always my go-to dish. Of course there are many Indian delicacies, but I always made sure that dal was one of the dishes that I ordered.
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Indian Dal Tadka (easy Yellow Lentil Curry)
Recipe details
Ingredients
For cooking lentils:
- 200 gr toor dal split yellow pigeon peas - substitute with moong dal or masoor dal, soaked 1 - 2 hours
- 1 L water
- 1 tsp turmeric
- For making dal base:
- 25 gr butter/ ghee
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 180 gr canned diced tomatoes
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ginger/garlic paste
- 1 pinch hing
- 1 tsp methi powder
- Salt
For making tadka:
- 3 full tbsp butter/ghee
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 garlic cloves, minded
- Pinch of hing
- 2 dried red chilies (optional)
- ½ tsp chili powder
Garnish:
- Fresh coriander leaves
Instructions
- Soak lentils for about 1 to 2 hours. Drain and rinse them well in water.
- In a deep pot, add 1 liter water to lentils and turmeric.
- Cover the lentils and bring to a boil. When the water boils remove the lid or cover it partly and reduce heat to a simmer (low to medium). Cook lentils till they are soft, about 30 minutes*
- Heat ghee in a pan and add cumin seeds - toast for a minute (they should fry, not get burned).
- Add chopped onions to the pan and saute until softened, about 3 min.
- Add cumin powder, coriander powder, ginger/garlic paste, hing, chili powder and mix well. Cook together for about 1 minute. If more butter is needed, add.
- Add tomatoes and cook together for about 5 minutes, till most of the liquid from the tomato has evaporated.
- Add the garam masala and methi, cook for about 1 minute and remove from heat.
- When dal is softened add the cooked spice mixture to the dal and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt.
- Add a bit of water to get the dal to your desired consistency.
- Now, start with making the tadka:
- Take out a skillet, add 3 tbsp of butter/ghee and let it melt.
- Once butter/ghee has melted, add cumin seeds - let it splutter
- Add dried red chili (optional), garlic, hing, red chili powder and mix about 30 seconds till garlic turns light brown.
- Pour tadka over cooked dal, garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot.
Tips
- *Cooking time depends on the quality of lentils.
Comments
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