TADKA DHAL
This is probably the most famous lentil dish coming out of India-yellow lentils tempered with spices and the usual holy trinity of garlic, ginger and chile. It has always been a favorite of mine and it would grace our family dinner table at least once a week when I was growing up. There are lots of different recipes for flavoring the oil (tadka), so play around with your spice pantry and see what you come up with. If you don't have half of these spices, then don't worry; just add a tablespoon of your favorite spice paste and it will taste just as delicious.
Provided by Anjali Pathak
Categories Dinner Vegetarian Vegan Lentil Garlic Ginger Chile Wheat/Gluten-Free Pescatarian Dairy Free Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free Kosher
Yield Serves 4
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Gently boil the lentils in a large saucepan of cold water (around 4 cups will do) and stir in the turmeric and black cardamom pods (if using)-this will add a subtle smoky flavor. Allow to cook for around 45 minutes, or until the lentils have softened and started to break down. Skim off any foam that sits on the top and give the lentils a stir every now and again in case they begin to stick on the bottom. If they boil dry, add more water.
- Once the lentils have softened, turn down the heat and make the tadka. Gently heat the oil in a skillet and add the cinnamon sticks, green cardamom pods and cloves. When the cardamoms have turned white and the heads of the cloves have swollen, you are ready to stir in the mustard and cumin seeds. When they are sizzling, stir in the scallions, chiles, garlic and ginger.
- After a minute, stir through the tomatoes and turn off the heat. Pour the tadka into the dhal so that it floats on top. This is the traditional way to serve it, with the scented oil sitting on top, but I prefer to stir it through. Season with salt, sugar and lemon juice. Finally, stir through plenty of chopped cilantro and serve with some rice or fresh bread for the ultimate comfort food.
Are you curently on diet or you just want to control your food's nutritions, ingredients? We will help you find recipes by cooking method, nutrition, ingredients...
Check it out »
You'll also love
Baseer Sons steel
[email protected]This is a great recipe for a quick and easy dal. I love that it can be made in one pot.
majo simz
[email protected]This dal was a bit too spicy for me, but I still enjoyed it. I think next time I will use less chili pepper in the tadka.
Tony Spencer
[email protected]I'm not a huge fan of dal, but this recipe changed my mind. It was so flavorful and satisfying. I will definitely be making this again.
Tarekegn Tessema
[email protected]This is one of my favorite dal recipes. It's so easy to make and always turns out great. I love the creamy texture and the flavorful tadka.
Living in 2021
[email protected]I followed the recipe exactly and the dal turned out great! It was creamy and flavorful, and the tadka added a nice touch of spice. I will definitely be making this again.
Dan Passy
[email protected]This dal was a bit too spicy for me, but I still enjoyed it. I think next time I will use less chili pepper in the tadka.
Akram Hussain
[email protected]I'm not a huge fan of dal, but this recipe changed my mind. It was so flavorful and satisfying. I will definitely be making this again.
Agatha Chinaemerem
[email protected]This is one of my favorite dal recipes. It's so easy to make and always turns out great. I love the creamy texture and the flavorful tadka.
Md Tosif khan
[email protected]I made this dal last night and it was delicious! I used red lentils and added a bit of extra cumin and coriander to the tadka. It was perfect with rice and yogurt.
Kingsley John
[email protected]This was a great recipe! I followed the instructions exactly and it turned out perfectly. The dal was creamy and flavorful, and the tadka added a nice touch of spice. I will definitely be making this again.