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Dal tadka

Yellow lentils, soft and savoury, finished with a sizzling spiced ghee tadka.

45 min 15 min hands-on Serves 4 Indian Kid friendly

Dal tadka is everyday Indian comfort food, cooked lentils finished with a sizzling tempering of spices in hot ghee or oil. The tadka, poured over at the end, is what gives the dish its aroma and shine. It is cheap, nourishing, and naturally vegetarian.

Ingredients

  • 250 g yellow split moong or toor dal, moong cooks fastest; allow about 60 minutes in total with toor
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 1 L water
  • salt, to taste, plus a pinch for the rice
  • 3 tbsp ghee or butter, if using butter, add 1 tsp oil
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 dried chilli (optional)
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 small bunch coriander, chopped, to serve
  • 300 g basmati rice

Method

  1. Put the dal in a sieve and rinse it under cold water, rubbing the grains with your fingers, until the water runs almost clear, 3 or 4 rinses. Rinsing washes off the surface starch, so the dal cooks up clean and foams less.
  2. Put the dal, turmeric, tomato and water in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil over a high heat, about 5 minutes, skimming off the foam that rises.
  3. Turn the heat down to low so it bubbles gently and simmer, part-covered, stirring now and then, until the lentils are completely soft and starting to fall apart: 20 to 25 minutes for moong, 35 to 40 for toor (add 15 minutes to the timer). Add a splash of hot water if it gets thicker than soup.
  4. While the dal simmers, rinse the rice until the water runs almost clear. Put it in a pan with 500ml of water and a pinch of salt and bring to the boil over a high heat. Cover, turn to the lowest heat and cook until the water is absorbed and steam holes dot the surface, 10 to 12 minutes. Take it off the heat and leave it covered.
  5. Stir in about 1 teaspoon of salt, taste and add more if it needs it. Mash some of the dal against the side of the pan with a spoon or whisk until creamy but with some texture, like a thick soup. Keep it warm over a low heat.
  6. For the tadka, heat the ghee in a small pan over a medium-high heat until it shimmers (medium if using butter). Add the mustard seeds; when they start to pop, after about 30 seconds, add the cumin, then the garlic and the chilli, if using. Fry until the garlic turns pale gold, 1 to 2 minutes.
  7. Pour the sizzling tadka straight over the dal (it will hiss), stir in the garam masala and scatter with the coriander. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve the dal over it.

Tips

  • Rinse the lentils until the water runs clear, then simmer until soft and creamy before tempering.
  • Make the tadka last, frying cumin, garlic, and dried chilli in hot ghee until fragrant, then pour it over.
  • Mash a little of the cooked dal against the pot to thicken it without any extra ingredients.

Common questions

What lentils are used in dal tadka?

It is commonly made with toor (split pigeon peas) or masoor (red lentils), sometimes a mix. Both cook down soft and creamy.

What does the tadka do?

The tadka is hot fat infused with spices, poured over at the end to add a burst of aroma and flavour to the cooked lentils.