Dal Tadka - The World's Food

By The World's Food

Yield: 4

Time: 45 minutes

Savory lentils tempered with turmeric, garlic, chili peppers, cumin, coriander, cloves, cilantro, fenugreek, tomatoes, onions and ghee (clarified butter)

Ingredients

1 cup toor dal (arhar dal or split pigeon peas/lentils)

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

1½ teaspoons salt, divided

3 cups water

6 garlic cloves, diced

1 green chili pepper

1½ tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)

½ teaspoon cumin powder (or 1 teaspoon cumin seeds)

1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed in a mortar and pestle or with the flat side of a meat tenderizer

2 whole cloves

1 red onion

6 Roma tomatoes, chopped

½ teaspoon coriander powder

½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, or to taste

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

¼ teaspoon hing (asafoetida)

2 dried red chili peppers

Preparation

Step 1
Add 1 cup toor dal, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 3 cups water to an instant pot and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes with natural pressure release, set aside

Step 2
Mince 4 garlic cloves, 1-inch ginger and the green chili in a mini blender, set aside

Step 3
In a preheated heavy-bottomed pan, add 1 Tablespoon ghee over medium heat

Step 4
Once ghee is melted, add ½ teaspoon cumin powder, 1 Tablespoon coriander seeds and 2 whole cloves

Step 5
Temper spices 30 seconds, add diced onion and sauté 3-4 minutes, or until onions soften

Step 6
Add garlic, ginger and green chili mixture and sauté 1-3 minutes

Step 7
Add chopped tomatoes and ½ teaspoon salt, mix together, cover pan and cook 8 minutes

Step 8
Once tomatoes are tender, remove lid and add ½ teaspoon coriander powder, ¼ teaspoon garam masala, ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro and 1 teaspoon kasuri methi

Step 9
Stir and cook 30 seconds

Step 10
Add cooked toor dal, stir and simmer 4 minutes

Step 11
While the toor dal is simmering, heat a small pan over medium heat

Step 12
Add 2 teaspoons ghee, 2 diced garlic cloves, hing and 2 dried red chilies

Step 13
Sauté 1 minute then add to toor dal mixture

Step 14
Stir tempered spices into dal thoroughly and top with fresh cilantro for presentation

Step 15
Serve with basmati rice or flatbread

Note: This is a slightly modified version of the original recipe found here.

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