Restaurant-Style Dal Tadka
1 hr 15 minServes 4
Creamy split yellow lentils simmered with aromatics, tomatoes, and spices, finished with a fragrant tempering of mustard seeds, cumin, and curry leaves.
| prepSift through lentils and remove any pebbles | |||||||||
| prepSoak lentils in cold water for 15 minutes, then drain | |||||||||
| 200 g split yellow lentils (moong dal) | Heat oil, cook onions until golden, 5–7 min | Add garlic, ginger, serrano; cook 60–90 sec | Stir in curry powder, garam masala, coriander, turmeric, 30 sec | Add water, lentils, salt, pepper; bring to boil | Simmer partially covered, 30 min until lentils tender | Add tomatoes, cook 4–5 min until broken down | Stir in cilantro, taste and adjust salt | Pour tadka over dal, taste and adjust salt | Serve with rice, flatbread, yogurt, red onions |
| 1 to 2 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil (or neutral oil) | |||||||||
| 1 medium yellow onion, diced | |||||||||
| 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped | |||||||||
| 2.5 cm piece fresh ginger, grated or minced (about 1 tablespoon) | |||||||||
| 1 serrano pepper, finely chopped | |||||||||
| 1 teaspoon Madras curry powder | |||||||||
| 1 teaspoon garam masala | |||||||||
| ¼ teaspoon ground coriander | |||||||||
| ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric | |||||||||
| 2 ½ to 3 ½ cups / 600 to 840 ml filtered water | |||||||||
| Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste | |||||||||
| 1 (14.5-ounce / 410 g) can crushed or diced tomatoes | |||||||||
| 1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped | |||||||||
| 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil (or neutral oil) | Heat oil until very hot, test with mustard seed | Add mustard seeds, swirl until popping | Add cumin seeds, swirl a few seconds until darker | Add asafoetida, curry leaves, chiles; swirl 15–30 sec until aromatic | |||||
| 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds (or brown) | |||||||||
| ½ teaspoon cumin seeds | |||||||||
| 1 or 2 pinches asafoetida (optional) | |||||||||
| ~10 fresh curry leaves (or ~20 dried curry leaves) | |||||||||
| 1 to 2 dried red chile peppers (optional) | |||||||||
| Cooked basmati rice or flatbread, to serve 4 | |||||||||
| Coconut yogurt for dolloping (optional) | |||||||||
| Thinly sliced red onions (optional) | |||||||||
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