Dal tadka
Yellow lentils finished with sizzling spiced ghee
Comfort in a bowl. Split pigeon peas and red lentils are simmered until creamy, then finished with a tadka: whole spices, garlic and chilli sizzled in hot ghee and poured over at the last moment.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Dal
Tadka
Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Put 5 ½ oz toor dal (split pigeon peas), 3 ½ oz red lentils (masoor dal), 4 ¼ cups water and ½ tsp ground turmeric in a large pan. Bring to the boil, skim off any foam, then simmer, partly covered, until the lentils are completely soft.
25 minStep 2: Whisk the dal to make it creamy, then add 1 onion, 2 tomatoes and 1 ¼ tsp salt and simmer until the tomato breaks down. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick.
10 minStep 3: For the tadka, heat 2 tbsp ghee in a small pan until very hot. Add 1 tsp cumin seeds and ½ tsp black mustard seeds; when they crackle, add 4 garlic cloves and 2 dried red chillies and fry until the garlic is golden.
2 minStep 4: Take off the heat, stir in ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder and immediately pour the sizzling tadka over the dal. Scatter with 1 handful fresh coriander and serve with rice or roti.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 41 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
Badal Patel
Good to know
- How long does dal tadka take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of toor dal (split pigeon peas)?
- Red lentils (masoor dal) (cook 10 minutes less).
- What can I use instead of red lentils (masoor dal)?
- Yellow split peas (soak 2 hours and cook longer).
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