Description
Tarka dhal is a comforting and nourishing Indian lentil dish made with toor dal, infused with aromatic spices like asafoetida, turmeric, garlic, ginger, and finished with a flavorful tempering of cumin seeds, dried red chillies, and kashmiri chilli powder. This traditional recipe is simmered to tender perfection and served with roti or jeera pulao for a wholesome meal that is mildly spiced and richly satisfying.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 250g toor dal
- 1 tsp asafoetida
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cm piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 tomato (about 80g), roughly chopped
- Salt, to taste
- 1 litre water
Tarka (Tempering) Ingredients
- 3 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 mild dried red chillies
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 60g onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander (cilantro)
To Serve
- Roti or jeera pulao
Instructions
- Cook the Dal: Tip the toor dal, asafoetida, ground turmeric, roughly chopped garlic and ginger, chopped tomato, salt, and 1 litre of water into a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 1 hour, stirring often to prevent sticking.
- Break Down the Dal: After simmering, cover the pan, turn off the heat, and allow the dal to cool slightly. Use a potato masher or hand blender to break down the dal slightly to a chunky consistency, avoiding over-smoothing.
- Prepare the Tarka (Tempering): Heat the ghee in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and dried red chillies. As they begin to sizzle, add finely chopped garlic and ginger and fry for a few seconds until aromatic.
- Sauté Onions and Spices: Add the finely chopped onions to the pan and fry for 3-4 minutes until softened. Stir in the Kashmiri chilli powder thoroughly.
- Combine Dal with Tarka: Transfer half of the prepared tarka to a small bowl to use as garnish later. Add the cooked dal back to the remaining tarka in the pan, along with 100ml water. Gently simmer over low heat for 2 minutes.
- Final Touch and Serve: Turn off the heat, garnish the dal with the reserved tarka and sprinkle with freshly chopped coriander. Serve hot with roti or jeera pulao.
Notes
- The combination of garlic, ginger, cumin, and Kashmiri chilli adds a flavorful yet mild heat to the dhal, making it comforting and well-balanced.
- Do not over-blend the dal; leaving some texture makes the dish more enjoyable.
- Adjust salt and chilli powder to suit your preferred spice level.
- Using ghee in the tempering adds a rich and authentic taste to the dish.
- Try serving with jeera pulao or warm rotis to complete your meal.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approximately 1/4 of recipe)
- Calories: 340
- Sugar: 3.2 g
- Sodium: 0.2 mg
- Fat: 13.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6.3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 39 g
- Fiber: 2.5 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
