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Dal Tadka Recipe – Punjabi Dhaba Style

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About

It is an easy and simple lentil curry made with an equal proportion of moong dal and toor dal with a spiced ghee tempering. It is a popular North Indian cuisine staple food which is typically served with either roti or flavored rice. The word tadka or tarka means seasoning or tempering which adds a unique flavor to the cooked dal. Adding tadka or seasoning is not mandatory but gives uniqueness to this lentil curry. Moreover, the tadka or seasoning is given using ghee, but using any cooking oil should give the same taste. Cooking dal or lentil curry is an easy affair and follows the same pressure cooking followed by seasoning with veggies and spices. However, this recipe post explains a much more easy and simpler way of cooking in less time and more efficiently. In other words, all the ingredients and vegetables are added and pressure cooked with only optional tadka with spices in it. This recipe follows the unique dhaba style tadka which makes it very special and unique.

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Step-by-step

1
firstly, in a pressure cooker take 1 cup toor dal and ½ cup moong dal. make sure to rinse the dal well.
2
add 2 tomato, 1 onion, 10 cloves garlic, 1 bay leaf, 1 black cardamom, ½ tsp turmeric, and 1 tsp salt.
3
also, add 2 tsp ghee and 4 cup water.
4
cover and pressure cook for 5 whistles or until the dal is cooked well.
5
mash the dal slightly and adjust consistency as required.
6
to prepare the tempering, heat 2 tbsp ghee.
7
add 4 cloves garlic and fry for a minute.
8
also add 1 tsp cumin, 2 tsp kasuri methi, 1 tsp chilli powder, pinch hing.
9
splutter the tempering and pour over the dal.
10
add in 2 tbsp coriander and mix well.
11
finally, enjoy cooker dal tadka with jeera rice.Dal Tadka Recipe

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Video

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FAQ

It is a lentil-based curry with a blend of spices and herbs in it. Once the dal is cooked, it is seasoned with ghee and spices which makes it flavoured and appealing.
Typically a combination of lentils or dal is used to prepare the tarka dal. The most common combination is toor and moong dal, but you may also use the toor and channa dal too.
It is a seasoning of spices like chilli powder, garam masala, cumin, and whole red chilies in hot and fried ghee. Once the spices are fried (not burned), it is added to the cooked dal would eventually give the smoky flavor to the dal recipe.
Typically the tarka is either prepared with ghee or butter which is not a vegan ingredient. Yet you can make it vegan with ghee alternatives like cooking or olive oil seasoning.
Yes the spice level can be easily customized as per the individual preferences. You may increase or decrease as per individual spice appetite. Additionally, you may also add green chilies to make it more flavored and authentic.
Dal tadka or a combination of lentil curry is a good source of protein and fiber in it. It is an ideal curry for vegetarians for a balanced diet, especially when served with rice. In addition, it is also low in calories and fat, hence making it an ideal choice for weight watchers.
Yes certainly, the other types of dal can be used to make dal tadka. You may use moong dal, channa dal, masoor dal, black urad dal. However, you may have to consider the cooking time as each may have different boiling times.
There are myriad variations to the simple dal tadka recipe. You may add other vegetables like peas, spinach, and carrots with tomato and onion. Also, you may add other spices like curry powder or even cream to make it rich. However, the simple dal tarka with basic spices is always a popular choice and recommended option.
Well, you may prepare it and refrigerate it for future use. It should be ideal to consume for 3-4 days easily. However, the best option is to just pressure cook the dal and freeze it. Whenever you need the dal, you have to just boil it and add seasoning to it.
Generally, dal tadka is served with rice, flavored rice, roti, and naan. Alternatively, you may serve it as just soup without any sides to make it a complete meal.
Yes dal tadka is a gluten-free recipe as it does not contain wheat or gluten in it. However, if you are buying the packaged lentil combination from a store, you may have to check the contents and ingredients before buying it.

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Notes

  • Firstly, make sure to add moong dal to get a nice creamy consistency dal.
  • Also, you can add ginger along with garlic for enhanced flavor.
  • Additionally, pressure cook on medium flame, else the dal may not cook well.
  • Finally, cooker dal tadka recipe tastes great when spicy tadka is added on top.
Original recipe by Hebbar’s Kitchen: https://hebbarskitchen.com/dal-tadka-recipe-yellow-dal-tadka/