This Dal tadka is a delicious, comforting Indian dish that is full of spiced creamy lentils. Make this simple dish extra delicious by making it dhaba style!
What is Dhaba style?
Dhaba refers to traditional trucker's and travelers' stops in Northern India that primarily serve delicious, home style cooked meals in fairly rustic settings. They also tended to be more affordable. Now these stops have became very popular with a lot of people traveling just to eat there! These have also became popular pan India in the last 2 decades.
Dhaba style dal tadka is probably one of the most popular dishes available in dhabas across the country. It is made similar to home style dal but a bit heavier on the flavors. Dal is cooked until creamy and the tadka(tempering) is added.I also added chopped onions, tomatoes and lots of garlic for extra flavor. Dhaba style food also tends to be smoky from cooking over fire. Check below on how you can replicate this at home*.
Tips for making the best dal tadka
Use a pressure cooker/Instant pot - Dal might be cooked over the fire for a long time when being made in a dhaba. However, at home most of us are trying to get dinner done and ready as quickly as possible. Cooking dal in a high pressure cooker helps cook it quickly, efficiently and makes it easier on the tummy.
Use a combination of dals(lentils) - I use a combination of toor(split pigeon peas) and moong dal( split yellow lentils) for two reasons. I find it tastier and moong dal is easier on the tummies of young kids, sensitive tummies etc. You can try adding masoor(red lentils) or just stick to toor dal if thats what you prefer.
Tadka(tempering) is key to the flavors - I cook down a combination of onions, tomatoes along with just turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Dal does not call for any other spices. However, for the final tadka(tempering) I add more chilis, hing(asafetida), lots of garlic, curry leaves and cumin seeds. All of these come together to make a simple dal a knockout dish.
Making it dhaba style - When you see the recipe card, you will notice plenty of garlic being used. That's because garlic adds a ton of flavor and aroma.
For achieving the final look, add some Kashmiri red chili powder to the tadka oil before pouring over the lentils. This gives it a gorgeous restaurant style effect.You can also fry some onion slices and top the dal with it.
Finally, you can employ the *dhungar method to add some smokiness to the dal. Place a small piece of lit charcoal in a small heat and food safe bowl.Pour some drops of ghee on top of the charcoal piece) Place it directly over the cooked dal tadka(make sure it does not sink!) and cover the entire pot/kadai with a lid. Depending on how strong you want the smokey flavor to be, let this sit for 3-5 minutes before removing.
FAQs
Yes.It will take more time though for the lentils to completely soften over the stove top. Another tip is to soak the lentils in some hot water before cooking to help soften and cook them quicker. However, lentils need no soaking before cooking unlike beans
You can absolutely leave out both whether you are doing it for health/ religious or any other reasons. Make sure, you dont skip on the asafetida, cumin, fennel seeds. Also don't forget to use lots of cilantro leaves since they will help make up for the flavors from garlic, onions.
Just stick to Kashmiri chilli powder and red chilis for tempering to keep it less spicy. You can also use other milder chilis like jalapeño, serrano etc. Start off small by adding a little bit of the chili powder and taste before adding more.
Dal tadka goes great with both rice and flat breads like chapatis,parathas like this methi paratha, naans etc. I have also enjoyed it with quinoa. Serve with a side of raita, some fresh cucumber, tomato and/or onion slices, lime wedges, any dry sabji(stir fried vegetables/paneer), papad(roasted lentil wafers).
Can we make this vegan and/or gluten-free?
Dal tadka is naturally gluten-free. Check to see if hing is listed as gluten-free before adding to the dal. As usual, take care to check individual ingredients for allergen advice.
It can be kept entirely vegan by skipping the ghee. Use vegan ghee or just stick to a neutral cooking oil.
How to store, reheat and meal prep dal tadka?
Storage - Dal tadka will keep well in the refrigerator for up to a week. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Reheat - Reheat in the microwave until warm. You can also reheat in a pan over the stove top. Add a little water to the dal to thin it out if needed. For frozen dal, let it thaw overnight if possible. Else reheat using any of the options mentioned above until completely warm. You can also reheat in the conventional oven at 350 deg F for 30-60 minutes depending on the quantity being reheated.
Meal Prep - Dal tadka freezes very well and can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat as mentioned above. You can also prep the lentils alone and freeze it for using later.
Other northern Indian dishes to try - Methi Paneer, Aloo Chana Chaat, Matar ka Nimona, Channa Saag, Vegetable Biryani.
Leave a comment below to let me know what you thought of this delicious dal tadka. If you want to follow along on social media, you can find us on Facebook or Pinterest.
Recipe
Dal Tadka
Equipment
- 1 Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot
- 1 Large Kadai or any deep pan
- 1 Tadka(tempering) pan sub with any small pan/skillet
Ingredients
For cooking the lentils
- 1 cup Toor Dal(Split Pigeon Lentils) washed and rinsed
- 1 cup Moong Dal(Split Yellow Lentils) washed and rinsed
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 6-7 cups Water
For Tadka(Tempering)
- ½ tablespoon Cumin Seeds
- 4-5 pinches Hing(Asafetida)
- 2 Green/Red Chilis
- 7-8 Curry Leaves
- 6-7 cloves Garlic finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri Red chili Powder optional
Other Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1 large Red Onion peeled and finely chopped
- 3 -4 Tomatoes finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon Ginger - Garlic Paste
- ½ tablespoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 tablespoon Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
- 2 tablespoon Avocado Oil or Ghee
- 4 Green Chilis
- 2-3 cup Water to add to dal to adjust consistency
- Salt to taste
- 3-4 tablespoon Cilantro leaves washed and chopped
Instructions
- Add the rinsed lentils, water along with the turmeric and salt required for cooking the lentils in the pressure cooker or the Instant Pot(IP) insert. Cover with lid and lock it in closed position. Pressure cook for 12 minutes in the IP or for up to 4 "whistles" in the pressure cooker. Let the steam release naturally.
- While the lentils are cooking, heat a large kadai or pan. Add oil/ghee and after 30 seconds add the cumin and fennel seeds. Saute for 30-45 seconds until gently browned. Now add the chopped onions. Mix and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the ginger-garlic paste and mix well. Cook for another 3-4 minutes before adding the tomatoes. Also add the turmeric, red chili powder, salt and mix well. Add ½ cup water. Let this mixture cook for 7-8 minutes. Check if any more seasoning is needed and add accordingly.
- Once the lentils are cooked, add it to the cooked onion-tomato mixture in the pan. Mix well.Season with salt as needed. Add a cup of water if the dal appears thick in consistency.
- In a tadka pan, heat oil/ghee. Keeping the heat at low to medium low, add the green chilis carefully to the oil. Wait for the skin to blister a little and then add the chopped garlic, cumins seeds, curry leaves and asafetida. Once the cumins seeds start popping, take off the heat and pour over dal. Serve hot.
Notes
- If you love garlic like I do, I recommend adding some fresh grated garlic or frozen garlic cubes in to the dal once it is cooked in the IP/Pressure cooker before adding anything else. This gives it a more robust garlicky flavor and something we do at home anytime we make dal.
- Feel free to skip or reduce the chili/chili powder used if you prefer.
- Always pat fry any chilis, curry leaves completely before tempering them in hot oil.
- For the tadka, you can substitute green chilis with the red version.
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