Tadka Dal 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 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.

DAL TADKA (YELLOW DAL) RECIPE

Steps:

• Rinse toor dal, chana dal and masoor dal in water and add them into 3-5 liter capacity steel or aluminum pressure cooker. Add 2-cups water and salt and pressure cook for 4-whistles over medium flame. Turn off flame and allow the pressure to release naturally. Open the lid and keep the cooked dal aside.
• Heat 2-teaspoons ghee/oil in a pan. Add sliced onion and sauté until it turns light brown. Add crushed ginger-garlic and chopped green chilli and sauté for 30-40 seconds. Make sure, garlic does not turn dark brown.
• Add chopped tomato and sauté until it turns soft.
• Add and mix turmeric powder and red chilli powder.
• Add cooked dal and mix well.
• Add 1-cup water and stir to mix. Taste for the seasoning and add salt accordingly.
• Cook on medium flame until you get the desired consistency of dal or for approx. 5-6 minutes, stir multiple times in-between. Remove it from flame and transfer into a large serving bowl.
• Prepare the tempering by heating 2-teaspoons ghee in a small pan. Add cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle. Add chopped garlic, dry red chillies and asafoetida, mix well and allow garlic to turn light brown.
• Remove pan from flame and pour prepared tempering over cooked dal in a serving bowl. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with steamed rice.

DAL TADKA RECIPE | PUNJABI YELLOW DAL WITH TADKA

Steps:

• Wash the toor dal 3-4 times and soak them in warm water for 15-20 minutes.
• Drain the water and add the dal to a pressure cooker. Also add 3 cups of water.
• Add salt and turmeric powder to the dal and stir to mix. Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook till you get 1 whistle. Then let the steam come out before opening the cooker.
• Add some ghee in a pan. You can also use vegetable oil or butter instead of ghee.
• Add black mustard seeds (rai) when the ghee becomes hot. Fry till the rai starts to splutter.
• Add chopped onions to the pan along with finely chopped ginger and green chillies.
• Fry till the onions turn golden brown and start leaving fat.
• Now add pureed or chopped tomatoes. Fry till the tomatoes are cooked.
• Add red chilli powder and garam masala to the gravy.
• Cook for 2 minutes or the the gravy is nicely roasted.
• Add the cooked dal to the prepared onion tomato masala, and mix well.
• Also add some chopped coriander leaves on the top.
• To prepare the tempering, heat 2 teaspoons of ghee in a small pan.
• Then add cumin seeds and fry till they start to splutter. Add a pinch of asafoetida (heeng).
• Add minced garlic cloves to the ghee and fry till they turn light brown.
• Also fry dried red chillies. Finally add a little bit of red chilli powder to give color to the tempering.
• Pour the tempering on top of the dal. Mix everything together before serving. This dal tastes best when served hot along with some mild flavored rice. It can also be served in the side of any Indian bread and dry vegetable dish.

DAL TADKA RECIPE | YELLOW DAL TADKA | RESTAURANT STYLE DAL FRY TADKA

Steps:

• firstly, in a pressure cooker take ½ cup toor dal, 2 tbsp masoor dal. you can also add moong dal if you prefer.
• also add ¼ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp oil and 1½ cup water.
• pressure cook for 5 whistles or until dal is cooked well.
• add 1 cup water and adjust consistency. keep aside.
• now in a large kadai heat 2 tbsp ghee and splutter ½ tsp cumin, 1 bay leaf, pinch hing and 2 dried red chilli.
• also add 2 clove garlic, 1 inch ginger, 1 chilli and saute slightly.
• further add 1 onion and saute until it turns golden brown.
• keeping the flame on low add ¼ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp chilli powder, ½ tsp coriander powder and ½ tsp salt.
• add 1 tomato and saute until it turns soft and mushy.
• add in cooked dal and stir well adjusting consistency as required.
• simmer for 5 minutes or until flavours are well combined.
• now add 2 tbsp coriander, 1 tsp kasuri methi and ¼ tsp garam masala. mix well.
• finally, enjoy dal tadka with jeera rice or steamed rice.