Indian food is incredibly diverse but no matter where you go, every region has some sort of dal. This dal tadka features chana dal (split chickpeas) mixed with a spicy tomato gravy and a tadka or chhonk, which is a tempering of spices that may change the way you layer flavor in all of your food. It is the comforting dish that unites every Indian individual and it is best served with basmati rice.
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If I had to pick one food that transports me to a comforting family dinner, it would be dal. You either love dal or learn to love dal, there is no in between. Dal is probably one of the best examples of a food that we find boring as kids but exquisite when we’re older. This recipe is quite literally my family’s: my mom, my aunt, and my uncle all told me how they make it so I could replicate it in my home away from home. It was a chaotic FaceTime, but it did the job!
Indian cuisine is far more diverse than the way it is represented in Western culture, but the beauty of dal is that everyone knows what it is, despite differences in preparation and recipes. It can be enjoyed on special occasions like Diwali or just any day you need something comforting. Chana dal is tempered with spices, also known as a tadka or chhonk, which may change the way you layer flavor in all of your food. This dal tadka is just what I’d consider my family’s classic dal, but made in a way that optimizes the flavor profile. It has a few extra steps, but they’re so worth it! It is the comforting dish that unites us all.
We always eats dal with rice and here I’m using Lotus Foods Organic Brown Basmati Rice. Even though I grew up eating white rice with dal, this brown rice is comparably fluffy and its packed with fiber. This recipe is also on their website.
How to Make Dal Tadka
Pressure cook chana dal (or another yellow dal; moong or red lentil would be good options) with turmeric and salt. I used the Instant Pot, but you can totally use a regular pressure cooker if that’s what you have. My recipe does not require pre-soaking the dal, but if you do soak it for 1-2 hours, the cooking time will reduce. If you are using another yellow dal, please look up the pressure cooking instructions elsewhere as different dals have different cooking times!
Dal after pressure cooking. 
Dal after adding tomato mixture and tadka. 
Time to serve!
Cook ginger, garlic, green chilis, onion, and tomatoes in a pan and add it to the dal. While you could just pop these ingredients into the Instant Pot, giving them their own time to cook in a separate pan intensifies the flavors.
Make the tadka/chhonk (< 1 min) with vegan butter, cumin seeds, dry red chilis, and optionally, kashmiri lal and hing (asafetida). This is called tempering your spices and you might become obsessed with this technique. I know I am. I recommend doing this over medium heat if you’re doing it for the first time, but traditionally, this is done over medium-high heat. Add this to the dal and cozy up with a bowl!
Dal Tadka (Restaurant-Style)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Lotus Foods Organic Brown Basmati Rice
- 1 cup chana dal
- 2.5-3 cups water
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp avocado oil *sub any neutral oil
- ½ red onion, chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 inch ginger, minced
- 2 green chilis, chopped
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ¼ tsp red chili powder
- 2 tbsp vegan butter
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 dry red chilis
- pinch of hing (asafetida) *optional
- ½ tsp kashmiri lal *optional or sub ¼ tsp red chili powder
- lemon juice and cilantro to serve
Instructions
- Cook Lotus Foods Organic Brown Basmati Rice to package instructions.
- Pressure cook the dal. In an electric pressure cooker like the Instant Pot, pressure cook on high for 15 minutes. Allow for a natural pressure release. In a regular pressure cooker, it should take 8-10 whistles over a high flame. If you pre-soak the chana dal, you can pressure cook for less time.
- Add 1 tbsp avocado oil or another neutral oil to a pan. Add ginger, garlic, and green chilis. Cook until garlic starts to brown, so about 2 minutes. Add onions and cook until translucent and browned, so about 4-5 minutes.
- Add garam masala and red chili powder. Stir for 30 seconds.
- Add tomatoes and increase heat to medium high. Cook until tomato juices have evaporated and the tomatoes adhere together. Add everything in the pan to the dal.
- For the tadka/chhonk, heat vegan butter in a pan over medium heat (Or medium-high heat for best results. Make sure not to burn the spices!). Then add cumin seeds, dry red chilis, kashmiri lal, and hing. This is called tempering your spices and the process goes by very quickly (within a minute). Immediately add the tadka/chhonk to your dal.
- Serve with lemon juice, cilantro, and rice.
If you like this dal tadka, you will probably also love…
Chana Masala – Indian Chickpea Curry
