Dal Tadka (Restaurant Style Recipe)
This eatery-inspired dal tadka boasts a velvety and luscious texture, seasoned with traditional Indian spices and enhanced with a hint of smoky charcoal essence.
Ingredients
For Cooking Lentils
- 1 cup tuvar dal (arhar dal or split pigeon pea lentils) or 200 grams or ½ cup tuvar dal + ½ cup masoor dal (split pink lentils)
- 1 to 2 green chilies or serrano peppers – chopped or slit lengthwise
- ½ cup chopped onions or 1 medium sized onion
- 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes or 2 medium sized tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger or 1 inch ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) – optional
- 2.5 cups water – for pressure cooking
- 1 or 2 tablespoon low-fat cream – optional
- 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
- salt as required
For Tempering Or Tadka
- 3 tablespoon oil or 3 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 5 to 6 medium garlic cloves – finely chopped
- 2 to 3 dry red chilies – broken and seeds removed
- a generous pinch of asafoetida (hing) – optional
- 1 teaspoon crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) – optional
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper or paprika
For Garnish
- 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
For Dhungar Method
- a small piece of charcoal
- ¼ teaspoon oil or ghee (clarified butter)
Instructions
1. Cook Lentils
- Thoroughly rinse 1 cup tuvar dal (arhar dal, or split & husked pigeon pea lentils) in water. Add them to a 3-litre pressure cooker.No pressure cooker? You can also cook the lentils in a pot. Soak the lentils for an hour or two before you cook them in a pot.
- Add ½ cup chopped onions, 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes, 1 or 2 green chilies (1 teaspoon of chopped Anaheim pepper or Serrano pepper can be subbed for green chillies) and 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger.
- Pour 2.5 cups of water into the pressure cooker.If cooking in a pot, then about 4 to 4.5 cups of water can be added.
- Add ½ turmeric powder and 1 pinch of asafoetida (hing). If you do not have asafoetida, then skip it and mix well.
- Pressure cook the lentils for about 7-8 whistles, or until they become soft and creamy.Mash the cooked lentils with a wired whisk or with a spoon and keep aside. If the consistency looks thick, then add about ½ – 1 cup water (depending on the thickness) to get a medium consistency. Simmer dal for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Once the desired consistency is reached, add 1-2 tablespoons low-fat cream (optional), ½ teaspoon garam masala powder, 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) and salt to taste. Switch off the the heat.
- Mix well so that everything combines uniformly. Taste and adjust salt before adding tadka.
2. Smoke Lentils Using Dhungar Method (Optional)
- To get the smoky fumes of burnt charcoal like you would in a restaurant, you'll want to follow the dhungar method. Using tongs, place a small piece of charcoal on a grill pan like shown in the photo below. Burn the charcoal till it becomes red hot.Please be sure to use natural charcoal for this method, avoiding anything that has a flame accelerant added.Note that this is an optional step – you can proceed directly to the tempering method.
- Place the red hot charcoal in a small steel bowl. You can also use a halved hollow onion instead of the bowl.
- Pour about ¼ 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.
- Place this bowl on the dal.
- Cover the cooker or pot with a lid and let the dal get infused. Only smoke for 1-2 minutes. Do not keep for a long time, or you'll risk making the dal taste bitter.Remove the bowl carefully with the help of tongs and cover the cooker with a lid. Set aside.
Make The Tempering (Tadka Or Chaunk)
- Next, heat 3 tablespoons oil or ghee (clarified butter) in a small pan over low-medium heat. First, add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and crackle them. The cumin should get fried and not be raw, but be careful not burn them.
- Now add 2 to 3 dry red chilies, a generous pinch of asafoetida, and 5-6 medium sized garlic cloves which have been finely chopped. Let the garlic brown lightly and the red chilies change color. Do not burn the garlic.
- Lastly, add 1 teaspoon crushed kasuri methi (fenugreek seeds) and ½ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper. Mix well and turn off the stove.
- Pour entire tempering along with the oil or ghee into the dal.
- You can either mix the dal with tempering, or serve the dal tadka with the tempering on top it. I personally like the aesthetic of having the tadka floating on top. Garnish with coriander leaves. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestion
- Serve dal tadka hot with steamed basmati rice or jeera rice (cumin rice), or with roti, naan or paratha.
Nutrition
Calories: 213kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 4gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 60mgPotassium: 303mgFiber: 4gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 630IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 50mgIron: 1mg
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