Dal tadka – North Indian lentils with ghee tempering
Dinner

Dal tadka – North Indian lentils with ghee tempering

North Indian everyday classic: creamy yellow lentils topped with a sizzling tadka of cumin, garlic, and dried chili in ghee. Served with rice or bread.

TraditionalEverydayDinnerLunchVegetarianGluten-free
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Rate:
40 min total
4 servings
Very Easy

Ingredients

servings
  • Dal

    • 200 g Yellow lentils (toor dal or moong dal)
    • 1 tsk Turmeric
    • 1 tsk Salt
    • 600 ml Water
    • 1 stk Tomato, chopped
  • Tadka

    • 2 spsk Ghee
    • 1 tsk Cumin seeds
    • 1 tsk Mustard seeds
    • 3 fed Garlic, sliced
    • 2 stk Dried red chilies
    • 0.5 tsk Asafoetida (hing)
    • 1 håndfuld Fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions

  1. 1

    Cook the lentils

    1. Rinse the lentils in cold water. Cook them with water, turmeric, and salt for about 20–25 min until soft and partly broken down. Add the chopped tomato for the last 5 min and stir.
    25 min
    Pot
  2. 2

    Make the tadka

    1. Heat ghee in a small pan. Add cumin seeds and mustard seeds — when they start to splutter, add asafoetida, garlic slices, and dried chilies. Fry for about 1 min until the garlic is golden.
    2. Pour the sizzling tadka directly over the cooked lentils. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve immediately.
    3 min
    Pan

Details

Storage

Fresh

  • Duration: 3 days
  • Temperature: 5°C
  • Method: Store in the fridge. Make fresh tadka when reheating.

Frozen

  • Duration: 90 days
  • Temperature: -18°C
  • Method: Freeze the dal without tadka. Thaw and make fresh tadka.

Tips

Preparation

  • Toor dal gives the most classic flavour. Moong dal cooks faster and produces a milder dal.

Cooking

  • The tadka must be poured over immediately — the sizzle and steam are part of the dish.

Author

N

Nordmad

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Comments

Author

N

Nordmad