Name: Dal Tadka
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: ½ cup Toor (arhar dal); 2 tbsp cooking oil; ½ tsp cumin seeds; 2 pieces bay leaves; 3 pieces green chilies (whole); ¼ tsp asafetida (hing); 1 tsp garlic (finely chopped); 1 tsp ginger (finely chopped); 12 pieces curry leaves; ½ cup onion (2 medium size onions, very finely chopped); ½ cup tomatoes (finely chopped); ½ tsp turmeric powder; ½ tsp red chili powder; ½ tsp coriander powder; ½ tsp garam masala powder; 2.5 cups water; 2 tsp salt; ¼ cup coriander leaves (finely chopped); 4 tbsp ghee (clarified butter); 2 tbsp garlic (thin slices); 2 tbsp ginger (thin slices); 2 pieces of dry red chilies; ½ tsp red chili powder

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Dal tadka is usually made with Toor dal, cooked in a pressure cooker along with onions, ginger, tomatoes, curry leaves and a whole lot of spices. It is then tempered with ginger and garlic fried in ghee, and also smoked for two minutes. It is quite easy to make dal tadka at home, as you will realize reading my recipe.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Dal tadka is a very common and favored dish in the northern parts of India.
Serve it with hot jeera rice, plain steamed rice, chapati, tandoori roti, or paratha.

Dal tadka tastes nutty, earthy, spicy, and smoky.
Other similar recipes are mixed dal tadka, masoor dal tadka, dal fry, and dal makhani.

The Ingredients:

To make the dal:

½ cup Toor (arhar) dal
2 tbsp cooking oil
½ tsp cumin seeds
2 pieces bay leaves
3 pieces green chilies (whole)
¼ tsp asafetida (hing)
1 tsp garlic (finely chopped)
1 tsp ginger (finely chopped)
12 pieces curry leaves
½ cup onion (2 medium size onions, very finely chopped)
½ cup tomatoes (finely chopped)
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp red chili powder
½ tsp coriander powder
½ tsp garam masala powder
2.5 cups water
2 tsp salt
¼ cup coriander leaves (finely chopped)

For making the tadka:

4 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
2 tbsp garlic (thin slices)
2 tbsp ginger (thin slices)
2 pieces of dry red chilies
½ tsp red chili powder

This recipe was shared by the aunty who runs the ironing shop down the road. One day, she told me she starts her day early with this dish with roti and always feels strong till evening. I was curious and asked for the method. She laughed and said, “No secret—just balance.”

I made it one morning, and my husband said it was energizing. The boys loved its mild taste. Now, it is our common menu for lunch or dinner and even for an early-start breakfast. That chat reminded me that those who press our clothes also press stories into our hearts—light, warm, and quietly reliable.

How to Make Dal Tadka? (Step by Step Guide with Images)

Step 1: Soak ½ cup of Toor (arhar) dal in a bowlful of water for 15 minutes or so. When the dal swells up a bit, wash it nicely with water and keep it aside.

Step 2: Now, heat 2 tbsp of cooking oil in a pressure cooker on a medium flame. When the oil heats up, add ½ tsp of cumin seeds, 2 pieces of bay leaves, 3 pieces of green chilies (whole), and ¼ tsp of asafetida (hing) to it. Mix them and fry for about 20 seconds or so. Now, add 1 tsp of garlic (finely chopped), 1 tsp of ginger (finely chopped), and 12 pieces of curry leaves to it and fry for another 20 seconds or so.

Step 3: Then add ½ cup of onion (2 medium size onions, very finely chopped) to it. Cook it until the onions turn slightly golden brown. When it does, add ½ cup of finely chopped tomatoes. Mix and cook them for about 3 to 4 minutes until the tomatoes turn soft.

(Pro tip: Finely chopped tomatoes cook fast).

Step 4: Now, turn the flame to low and add ½ tsp of turmeric powder, ½ tsp of red chili powder, ½ tsp of coriander powder, and ½ tsp of garam masala powder to it and mix them nicely with the other ingredients. Cook them for about a minute or so.

Step 5: At this stage, add the soaked and washed Toor dal. Mix and cook the dal on a low flame for about 2 to 3 minutes.

(Pro tip: Keep the flame low at this stage or else the grains of the dal will stick to one another).

Step 6: Now, add 2.5 cups of water and 2 tsp of salt to it and give it a nice mix. Cover the pressure cooker and cook it on a medium flame up to 6 whistles. Turn off the gas stove then and let it cool down completely.

(Pro tip: Do not use more than 2.5 cups of water for ½ cup of Toor dal).

Step 7: Check the texture of the dal. It should be smooth.

(Pro tip: If the consistency is not smooth, cook it for a couple of minutes more without the lid this time and mash it with a vegetable masher as well. If it is too thick for you, you can add warm water to it and dilute it a bit).

Step 8: Now, to make the tadka, take a tadka pan and heat 2 tbsp of ghee (clarified butter) in it. When the ghee is hot, add 1 tablespoonful of thin slices of garlic and ginger. Fry them until they turn golden brown color. Pour it into the dal immediately and mix it nicely.

Step 9: Now, add ¼ cup of finely chopped fresh coriander leaves to it. Cover the lid of the pressure cooker.

Step 10: Now, heat a piece of charcoal on the flame for about 1.5 to 2 minutes. Put it in a small and light stainless-steel bowl and place it on the dal gently. Then put 1 tbsp of ghee on the burning charcoal and close the lid of the pressure cooker immediately and leave it in that way for 2 minutes.

Step 11: Remove the bowl of charcoal from the dal very carefully, give it a final mix, and transfer it to a serving bowl.

Step 12: Finally, before serving, make the tadka again as you did before, but this time, add 2 pieces of dry red chilies. Also, before pouring the tadka into the dal, tilt the tadka pan a bit to separate the hot ghee, add ½ tsp of red chili powder, stir it for a few seconds, mix it with the other ingredients, and then pour it into the dal.