Indian cuisine is incredibly diverse but no matter where you go, every region has some sort of dal. This dal tadka features three types of dal mixed with a spicy tomato gravy and a tadka, which is a tempering of spices that may change the way you layer flavor!
Jump to Recipe
Dal and rice is one of those meals that made the transition to eating plant-based a little smoother for me because my family will continue eating it forever, so the second recipe of Veganuary Wins is dedicated to the very essential, very comforting dal tadka. It’s also a bang for your buck, great source of protein and fiber, and let me know if I’m wrong, but I think lentils are pretty uncontroversial.
Here I’m using toor dal, moong dal, and chana dal. You can use one of them, two of them, all three, more than three…it’s your dal! You can prepare the dal in a pressure cooker, Instant Pot, or simmer all in one pot for longer.
What makes dal tadka especially flavorful is the base of aromatics, tomatoes, and spices, followed by the final tadka – a method for tempering spices, where the fat carries the aromas of the spices and transforms the dal. Think of it like an extra layer of flavor. The effect that red tights or cool sunglasses have on an outfit? That’s what a tadka is for dal. I usually do cumin seeds, hing, and red chilis in mustard oil or vegan butter, but you can play around with fats and spices to create final products that are totally distinct from each other.
Dal Tadka
Ingredients
- ½ cup toor dal
- ¼ cup moong dal
- ¼ cup chana dal
- 4 cups water
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp avocado oil or another neutral oil
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- pinch of hing (asafetida)
- ½ red onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 inch ginger, minced
- 2 green chilis, minced
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ¼ tsp red chili powder
tadka
- 2 tbsp vegan butter or oil
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 dry red chili
- pinch of hing (asafetida)
- ½ tsp kashmiri chili powder *sub ¼ tsp red chili powder
Instructions
- Rinse the dals and soak for 30 minutes. You can do one kind of dal, all three, even more than three…it's your life and your dal! Soaking isn't absolutely necessary, but it helps cook faster and results in a smoother dal.
- Pressure cook the dal with water. In an electric pressure cooker like the Instant Pot, pressure cook on high for 6 minutes. Allow for a natural pressure release. In a regular pressure cooker, it should take 4-5 whistles over medium heat. Alternatively, you can simmer the dal in the pot that you prep the aromatic tomato mixture (next step) in!
- In a pot over medium heat, add oil. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and hing. Let the seeds sputter for a minute, stirring frequently. 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 tomatoes and a big pinch of salt. When the tomatoes clump together in the pot, add garam masala and red chili powder. Add the pressure cooked dal to this pot. Adjust the amount of water and salt if necessary!
- For the tadka, heat vegan butter or oil in a small pan or ladle 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 to your dal.
If you like this recipe, you may also like:
Sorry about that! You add it to the dal and water before pressure cooking.
The Tumeric mentioned in the ingredients is not added in the recipe. Please advise when it’s added. Thanks