This homemade Tarka Dal tastes just like your favourite Indian restaurant and takeaway. It's a classic dish made with a mix of two lentils that are simmered in an aromatic tarka.
Curry night would be incomplete without a delicious dal on the side. My favourite contenders for a homemade Indian fake-away are this tarka dhal or Dishoom black dal.
"Tarka" is the aromatic technique of tempering hot oil and ghee with whole spices, which is then poured over the cooked dal. This infuses the dal with incredible depth of flavour.
Tarka dal is beautifully creamy thanks to the way the lentils break down when cooked. This coupled with the gentle heat from the aromatics makes this dish irresistable!
To cook the dal, you can use an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker or prepare this recipe on the stove top.
Ingredients
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
Split red lentils - aka masoor dal.
Yellow lentils - aka split moong dal.
Onion, garlic, green chillies, ginger - these aromatics will flavour the daal.
Spices - turmeric, ground cumin coriander powder, garam masala.
Tempering / tarka
Oil and ghee - skip the ghee to keep this recipe vegan.
Cumin seeds
Dried red chillies - these are optional but look amazing and add a gentle heat. Alternatively use dried red chilli flakes.
Red chilli powder - I recommend using Kashmiri red chilli powder which adds colour but little heat however any type of chilli powder works well.
Fresh coriander leaves - as a garnish.
Lemon juice
Serving Suggestion
Serve tarka dal the restaurant way with mains, side dishes, rice and flatbreads.
For mains, you may like saag aloo, Indian vegetable curry or brinjal bhaji.
Pair with jeera rice, boiled basmati rice or yellow pilau rice. Tarka dal will go beautifully just with rice for a lighter meal.
For breads, go for chapati, whole wheat paratha, garlic and coriander naan or peshwari naan.
Side with poppadoms, poppadom dips, onion bhaji and kachumber or Indian onion salad.
Storage
Tarka dal can easily be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You just need to reheat on the stove or in the microwave with a splash of water as the dal will thicken.
Tarka dal also freezes well for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw at room temperature and reheat on the stove with a new tempering to revive the flavours.
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Tarka Dal
Equipment
- Pressure cooker or Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 cup split red lentils
- 1 cup yellow lentils
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 green chillies
- ½ inch ginger
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- 2 tablespoon oil
Tarka (Tempering)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 dried red chillies
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
Garnishing
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon coriander leaves chopped
Instructions
- Wash the lentils thoroughly under running water and leave to soak whilst you prepare the base.
- Crush or finely chopped the onions, garlic, green chillies and ginger.
Stovetop (pan)
- Heat oil in a pan and tip in the onion, garlic, green chillies and ginger mixture.
- Sauté gently until the onion mixture has reduced and changed colour.
- Add the turmeric, cumin coriander powder and garam masala and mix well.
- Tip in the soaked lentils and saute for a minute with the onion mixture.
- Pour over hot water to completely cover the lentils and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Then reduce to a simmer, cover with a lid, and cook until the lentils are broken down and soft. You may need to keep adding water and stir at intervals to prevent sticking.
Instant Pot Method
- Select the saute mode of your Instant Pot or pressure cooker and follow the steps above.
- To cook the dal, add enough water to fully cover the dal about 1 inch above. Close the Instant Pot lid and select the Pressure Cooking function. Pressure cook on HIGH for 12 minutes and allow for natural pressure release.
Tempering the dal
- Heat oil and ghee if using in a small pan. Once hot, add the cumin seeds and dried red chilli. Once the seeds sizzle, tip in the red chilli powder.
- Quickly, pour the tempering over the cooked dal and swirl in.
- Squeeze over lemon juice and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
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