Basic Tempering For Dals Recipes

RESTAURANT STYLE YELLOW DAL TADKA RECIPE

Steps:

• Wash arhar dal and moong dal with water 2 to 3 times until the water runs clear.
• Soak the lentils in 2-3 cups of water and keep aside.
• Press SAUTE button of the instant pot.
• Once it says hot, add oil to the inner pot.
• Once the oil is hot and shimmery, add onions and fry until they turn light brown in color (8-10 minutes), stirring frequently.
• Add ginger and garlic and fry for 2 minutes.
• Add green chilies and tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir frequently while cooking.
• Now add coriander powder, turmeric powder, and Kashmiri red chili powder, and cook for a minute.
• Drain the water from the lentils and add them to the pot along with 3 cups of water, and salt, and stir well.
• Close the lid of the pot and set the valve to the sealing position.
• Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 10 minutes on high pressure. The instant pot will take some time to build the pressure and to start the timer.
• Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Then release the remaining pressure manually by moving the valve to the venting position. Use a cloth or a spoon to move the valve to avoid steam burn. Open the lid of the pot.
• Add lime juice to the pot and mix the cooked dal well using a wire whisk or a madani until it is smooth and creamy.
• Add some more water if the dal is thick for your liking and bring it to a boil by pressing the SAUTE button.
• Check for salt and add more if needed. Set the cooked dal aside.
• Wash arhar dal and moong dal with water 2 to 3 times until the water runs clear.
• Soak the lentils in 2-3 cups of water and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pressure cooker over medium-high heat.
• Once the oil is hot and shimmery, add onions and fry until they turn light brown in color (8-10 minutes), stirring frequently.
• Add ginger and garlic and fry for 2 minutes.
• Add green chilies and tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir frequently while cooking.
• Now add coriander powder, turmeric powder, and Kashmiri red chili powder, and cook for a minute.
• Add the dal to the pot along with 3 cups of water, and salt and stir well.
• Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook for one whistle on high heat. Then reduce the heat to low and cook for 10-12 minutes.
• Remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally.
• Open the lid of the cooker.
• Add 1 tablespoon lime juice to the pot and mix the cooked dal well using a wire whisk or a madani until it is smooth and creamy.
• Add some more water if the dal is thick for your liking and bring it to a boil.
• Check for salt and add more if needed. Set the cooked dal aside.
• Once the lentils are cooked, let's give them a tempering. Heat ghee in a small pan over medium-high heat.
• Once the ghee is hot, add cumin seeds and asafetida and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
• Add dry red chilies and garlic and fry until it turns golden brown in color. Keep stirring frequently.
• Switch off the heat and add Kashmiri red chili powder to the pan.
• Pour the tempering immediately over the dal and mix well.
• Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

DAL RECIPE (INDIAN RED LENTIL CURRY)

Steps:

• Rinse the lentils well until the water is clear and drain in colander. Tip: If using other yellow lentils instead of red lentils, then soaking in water for about an hour will help.
• In a medium cooking pot take the drained red lentils, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, sliced garlic, turmeric, water and bring it to a boil.
• Lower the heat and cook it for about 30 minutes. Add salt to taste and continue to cook until most lentils start breaking down, become a bit mushy and turn into a thick sauce like consistency.
• Cook the dal until it reaches a consistency that is thinner than what is desired, because it will thicken further after cooking.

SIMPLE LENTIL DAL (DAHL)

Steps:

• Heat the oil with the cinnamon stick in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until the cinnamon unfurls, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the cumin, cloves and cardamom and cook, stirring, until the cumin turns a golden brown color, about 1 more minute. Add the lentils, turmeric, water and salt. Bring to a boil and skim well. Turn down the heat and simmer, covered, until the lentils are soft, 20-30 minutes. Add more water during cooking if necessary. Taste for salt and add more if you need to.
• Ladle about 1/2 cup of the lentils into a small bowl and mash them with a spoon (optional). Return the mashed lentils to the pot and give the dal a stir. Continue cooking at a simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes to thicken. If you like a thicker dal, use a whisk to break up the lentils into a puree. If you like a thinner dal, add water. Remove the cinnamon stick (and cardamom pods, if you like).
• For the tempering oil, heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it just begins to brown around the edges, 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic paste, ginger and minced chile and cook just to mellow the raw taste of the garlic, 10-15 *seconds*.
• Stir half of the tempering oil into the dal along with half of the cilantro and all of the lemon or lime juice. Simmer very gently for 5 minutes. Transfer the dal to a serving bowl, pour the remaining tempering oil over the top and sprinkle with the remaining cilantro. Serve hot with additional lemon or lime juice to taste.

DAL TADKA (RESTAURANT STYLE RECIPE)

Steps:

• 1. 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.
• 2. 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.
• 3. 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.
• 4. Add ½ turmeric powder and 1 pinch of asafoetida (hing). If you do not have asafoetida, then skip it. 5. Mix well.
• 6. 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.
• 7. 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.
• 8. Mix well so that everything combines uniformly. Taste and adjust salt before adding tadka.
• 10. 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.
• 11. Place the red hot charcoal in a small steel bowl. You can also use a halved hollow onion instead of the bowl.
• 12. 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.
• 13. Place this bowl on the dal.
• 14. 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.
• 15. 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.
• 16. 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.
• 17. 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.
• 18. Pour entire tempering along with the oil or ghee into the dal.
• 19. 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.

BASIC TEMPERING FOR DALS

Steps:

• Wash pulses.
• Soak whole pulses overnight or soak in boiling hot water for 20 mins.
• Split/unhusked pulses can be soaked in cold water for 30 mins before cooking.
• Use the same water for cooking in which the pulses have soaked.
• Add a little salt, turmeric powder and ginger and garlic (if used) I add an onion and tomato too while cooking if I am not using these in the tempering or sometimes even if I am there is no limit to the permutations and combinations once you get the hang of it.
• Spinach, pumpkin, beans and many more veges can be added while cooking.
• Also can add a little oil or ghee to speed up the cooking and keep the dals from frothing.
• Pressure cook for 1 whistle and then reduce heat for 1-7 mins for split beans (red and yellow lentils for eg. cook a little faster than red and yellow gram) and pressure cook and then reduce heat for 30- 45 mins for whole dals.
• Well cooked and blended dals taste better.
• Take off heat and wait for all steam to escape.
• You can cook them on the stove top too- simmer till done.
• But they cook faster in the Cooker.
• Method for Tomato Onion Baghar (Temper) (Just omit ingredients for the Cumin Coriander baghar) Now heat the oil/ clarified butter in a small fry pan or vessel.
• Reduce heat and add cumin seeds.
• When it turns golden (do not burn them) add onion.
• Cook till onion turns brown.
• Do not undercook the onions.
• Brown them, stirring all the time.
• Add tomatoes and cook 2-3 minutes Add coriander, raw mango powder (if not avalable then omit and add 2 tsp of lime juice to the dal after tempering and garnishing with coriander leaver (cilantro)), and garam masala.
• Cook for 1/2 a minute.
• Remove from fire and add the green chillies and the red chilli powder.
• Pour tempering over the hot dal and mix gently.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro.
• Note for Split red lentils you can add chopped garlic while tempering after you add the cumin and then brown them too.
• THe more garlic the merrier for me but then you can use your discretion.
• For the Asafoetida Mustard baghar Fry the asafoetida till brown in the hot oil and then add the mustard seeds.
• Fry till they crackle.
• Remove from fire and add the red chillies and curry leaves.
• Mix and add to the cooked dal.
• Try it and enjoy this item which is a must at every Indian household and the variations that one can introduce.
• I can make over 50 types of dal (tastewise) and I am still counting.

PUNJABI TADKA RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat ghee on medium high heat, add in cumin seeds and cook for 60 seconds.
• Add onions and cook for 4-5 minutes until they are translucent and fragrant.
• Add ginger, garlic, and fresh green chili (optional). Cook for 90 seconds.
• Add tomatoes and all powdered spices. Cook on medium high heat for 5-7 minutes, until all the moisture has evaporated and the tomatoes are pulling away from the pan.