recipe-1

Recipe-1 › Curries of the world › Dal tadka

All over India, India

Dal tadka

Boiled lentils finished with a hot tempering of ghee, cumin, garlic and chillies.

Dal tadka
Same steps, different flavour base Mild

New here? How this page works

Recipe-1 is one simple curry recipe in nine steps: fry onions and green chillies, add your vegetables or meat, add chilli powder and turmeric, then water and salt, and boil. With small changes the same nine steps make curries from all over the world.

This page takes those nine steps and shows what to change to make Dal tadka. You don’t need to read anything else first: every base step is written out below. The changes are worked out on paper from what is typical for this dish; not yet kitchen-tested. Cooked it? Tell others how it went.

Green: the base recipe step (crossed out = do not use it for this dish)Red: what to do instead for Dal tadka

See the full base recipe (with timers and tips) · See all curries on the world map

You’ll need

How many people?4

The amounts change with the number of people; cooking times stay about the same (use a bigger pot for more). Taste as you go: you can always add more chilli or salt, but you cannot take it out.

Main ingredient: 200 g Toor dal (split pigeon peas) or moong dal, boiled soft with turmeric and salt.

From the base recipe

  • 1 Onions
  • 1–2 Green chillies
  • Cooking oil not used
  • ½ tsp Red chilli powder
  • ½ tsp Turmeric
  • 1 tsp · 700 ml Salt and water
  • 1 tsp Ginger garlic paste
  • Cloves, cardamom and cinnamon not used
  • Garam masala (optional) not used

Add for Dal tadka

  • 1 Tomato
  • 1 tsp Cumin seeds
  • 4 Garlic, sliced
  • 2 tbsp Ghee for the tadka
  • 2 · a pinch Dried red chillies and a pinch of asafoetida

Leave out

  • Whole spices

The nine steps, with the changes

Where a step has a red line, do the red line and not the crossed-out green base step. Steps with only green are done just as in the base recipe.

  1. Base step: do not useCut onions and chillies.

    Dal tadka: do thisChop the onions finely, with one or two green chillies.

  2. Base step: do not useFry in some oil for around 4 minutes on medium-high heat.

    Dal tadka: do thisHeat ghee, crackle cumin seeds, then fry the onions until golden.

  3. Base step: do not useCut the vegetable(s) of your choice.

    Dal tadka: do thisBoil the dal with turmeric and salt until soft and mash it lightly.

  4. Base step: do not useAdd them and fry for around 4 minutes on medium-high heat.

    Dal tadka: do thisAdd a chopped tomato and cook until soft.

  5. Add red chilli powder and turmeric.

  6. Keep frying until just before they start browning.

  7. Base step: do not useAdd some water.

    Dal tadka: do thisPour in the cooked dal and add water to the thickness you like.

  8. Add salt.

  9. Base step: do not useBoil until the gravy is as thick as you like.

    Dal tadka: do thisSimmer 5–10 minutes. For the tadka, heat ghee, fry garlic, dried chillies, asafoetida and a little chilli powder, and pour it over the dal.

Serve: With rice or roti.

For meat and seafood, make sure it is cooked through: chicken until no pink remains inside; mutton, goat and beef need long, slow cooking.

← Palak paneerAll curries on the mapKerala fish molee →

Food marks, as on packaged food in India: vegetarian · non-vegetarian (meat, fish or egg). Dishes with both marks can be made either way.

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