Dal Tadka (Indian Restaurant-Style Dal)
Dal Tadka is a flavorful and comforting Indian dish that brings together creamy lentils, aromatic spices, and a delicious smoky finish. Made with toor dal, this simple yet satisfying and traditionally vegan recipe features a tempering of cumin, garlic, and kashmiri chilli powder. The restaurant-style magic comes from the dhungar technique, where hot charcoal infuses the dal with a rich smoky aroma. Ideally served with steamed rice or flatbreads.
Equipment
- 1 Pressure Cooker, (I recommend Fissler Vitavit Premium 3.5l or larger), optional
- 1 Small Steel Cup, (optional)
Ingredients
Dal
- 320 g toor dal
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large onion (200g)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 large garlic cloves
- 30 g fresh root ginger
- 2 green finger chillies
- 2 large tomatoes (300g)
- ¾ tbsp salt (10g)
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
- 30 g coriander
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
Dunghar (Smoking Technique)
- 1 piece natural charcoal
- 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
Tadka (Tempering)
- 1 large garlic clove
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 dried red chillies
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- ¼ tsp asafoetida
Instructions
- Add the toor dal to a bowl and cover it with plenty of water. Stir it with your hands to loosen the starch, then drain and repeat until the water runs almost clear (4–5 times).
- Add the dal, turmeric and 1l of water to a pressure cooker (to use a normal pan, see Notes, below) and cook for around 4 minutes at full pressure. Leave to depressurise until needed.
- While the dal is cooking, heat the oil in a casserole over medium heat and peel and finely chop the onion. Fry the cumin seeds in the hot oil until they smell aromatic, then add the chopped onion and continue frying until it begins to turn golden (8-10 minutes). Meanwhile, peel and finely grate the garlic and ginger; trim and finely slice the chillies; dice the tomatoes.
- Add the garlic, ginger and chillies to the pan and fry until aromatic, then tip in the tomatoes and salt and cook until the tomatoes begin to soften (1–2 minutes). Stir in the garam masala, ground coriander and Kashmiri chilli and allow the spices to heat through.
- Stir the dal well to break it down until slightly thickened, adding some hot water to loosen it if necessary. Then add the dal to the cooked aromatics, return to a simmer and cook covered for 5 minutes, stirring halfway through, to allow the flavours to develop. Meanwhile, trim and discard the lower stems of the coriander and roughly chop the rest; prepare the Dhungar by placing the charcoal over a gas flame until it is white all around (4-5 minutes). Make sure that the kitchen is well ventilated for this method.
- Place a small steel cup in the centre of the casserole, right on top of the dal, and place the hot charcoal inside. Pour over the 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil to create some smoke, then close the lid and leave to smoke for 3-4 minutes. Remove the steel cup with the charcoal, then stir in the lemon juice, fenugreek leaves and most of the chopped coriander.
- For the tempering, peel and finely grate the garlic and have all the remaining ingredients ready. Heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat, then fry the cumin seeds until they begin to sizzle. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute more until the garlic is aromatic but not browned. Add the dried chillies and cook for a few seconds more. Turn off the heat and add the kashmiri chilli powder and asafoetida. Stir well to heat the spices through, then pour the tempering over the dal. Stir it through, divide between bowls and sprinkle over the remaining coriander. For a more impressive way to serve (see picture), you can also first divide the dal between bowls and spoon some of the tempering over each bowl, followed by the coriander.
Video
Notes
- To make the dal in a normal pan, wash it as described above, then cover with water and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Drain, transfer to the pan together with the turmeric and 1l of water, bring to boil, then reduce the heat and simmer covered for 45 minutes or until tender and easily breaking apart. Continue with the rest of the recipe.
- If you don’t have a steel cup, you can make a makeshift cup out of aluminium foil, or even place the charcoal in a hollowed out onion half.
- Serve with rice or flatbreads.
- Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days.