Dal tadka is a yellow dal cooked with onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and flavored with generous amount of tempered ghee and spices. Any Indian Meal is incomplete without this mouth watering preparation of daal. A standard Indian Thali comprises of Daal, Sabji (green vegetable), rice, yoghurt, pickle and chapatti. 

This recipe of dal tadka is what we make everyday at home. The generous use of ghee (clarified butter) make it a real tasty &  healthy. So make this dish once a while to break the routine or when you have invited guests at home. 

The consistency of Dal tadka should not be too thin or too thick. It should have runny consistency

1. Boiling Daal For Dal Tadka

Let’s first boil the daal in pressure cooker. I have washed and soaked 1 spoon of yelllow Moong Daal, Green Moong Chilka, Masoor Daal/ coral lentils, white urad, and Chana Daal in water for 10 minutes. Take the soaked daal in pressure cooker.

Add turmeric powder (haldi) in pressure cooker.

Also add salt as required for daal in pressure cooker.

Pressure cook the daal for 10 minutes (4-5 whistles) until dal is cooked nicely with a smooth consistency.

Tempering Onion & Tomato For Dal Tadka Recipe

Tempering  or Tadka as is known in India is something that is added from above after a dish is prepared. Usually it is done with Daals only but tempering can be added to any dish to enhance the flavors.  

Ingredients : 

•  1 finely chopped onion
• ¼ tsp mustard seeds
•  2 -3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• ½ tsp green chillies (optional)
•  ½ spoon of finely chopped ginger
•  1 diced tomato.  

Heat 1 tbsp Ghee / Oil in a frying pan

 add ½ t spoon of black mustard seeds

ginger-garlic-green chillies-onion in heated ghee

 Let it golden brown on medium heat 1 to 2 minutes.  Take care that it doesn’t get burnt, add a dash of water.  

Then add diced tomatoes and red chilli powder

cook for another minute till you see the ghee oil separated from the masala and add this tempering over the cooked daal immediately.

Add freshly chopped coriander (dhaniya) in daal.

Give a good stir and mix well. Serve with white rice or Chapati .