Dal Tadka

Dal tadka is the dish most Indian families eat several times a week: soft yellow lentils with a 'tadka' – whole spices fried in hot ghee and poured over at the end.

Serve it with jeera rice or chapati. It keeps for three days in the fridge and tastes even better the next day.

Video and original recipe by Hebbar’s Kitchen. Our recipe below is our own home-style version, written in our own words – quantities and steps may differ from the original.

• Serves 4
• Prep 10 min
• Cook 35 min
• Vegetarian · gluten-free

Ingredients

• 200 g toor dal (or half toor, half moong dal)
• 800 ml water
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp ghee (or oil for vegan)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 green chilli, slit
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• ½ tsp garam masala
• Fresh coriander and a squeeze of lemon

Method

1. Rinse the dal 3–4 times until the water runs clear.
2. Cook the dal with water, turmeric and salt for 25–30 minutes (or 3 whistles in a pressure cooker) until completely soft. Whisk until creamy.
3. For the tadka, heat the ghee in a small pan. Add cumin seeds; when they crackle add hing and garlic and fry until golden.
4. Add onion and green chilli and fry until soft, then tomatoes and chilli powder. Cook until the tomatoes break down, about 5 minutes.
5. Pour the tadka into the dal, add garam masala and simmer for 2 minutes. Add water if it is too thick.
6. Finish with coriander and lemon juice.

Shop the ingredients

Everything you need for this recipe is in stock at Farmah’s – order online or pick it up at Annenstraße 41, Graz.