Dal Tadka / Easy Lentils Curry Punjabi Style
Dal Tadka / Easy Lentils Curry Punjabi Style
Feeling lazy? Or feeling like something simple and home-made? I bet dal chawal is what hits your mind first. It’s the quintessential comfort food for most of us from the subcontinent and though I am sure you hardly look-up a dal tadka recipe on the internet, you might want to see if this one tingles your taste buds as much as it does mine 🙂
Source: Adapted from my ex-Punjabi nanny’s version
Cooking Time: Under 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- Dals – 1 cup (I used Toor Dal – 1/2 cup & Yellow Moong Dal – 1/2 cup)
- Onion – 1/2, chopped fine
- Tomato – 1 chopped fine
- Dry Red chilies – 2 or 3
- Green chilies – 2 or 3 slit
- Ginger – 2″ piece, shredded
- Garlic – 1 tbsp, minced
- Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
- Cumin (jeera) seeds – 1 tbsp
- Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
- White Urad Dal – 1 tbsp
- Curry leaves – few (optional)
- Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp
- Red chili powder – 1/2 tbsp or to taste
- Garam masala – a pinch
- Asafoetida (Hing) – a pinch
- Oil or Ghee – 2 tbsp
- Salt – To taste
- Cilantro – few stems, chopped for garnishing
- Lime juice – from 1/2 lime, for garnishing (optional)
Method:
- Boil the dals until fully done to mash-able consistency (about 4 to 5 whistles in a pressure cooker). You can use any kid here, I just prefer to use a combination of toor and moong dal to give it a light-weight feel and better consistency. You could even add in a handful of Channa dal if you like. Mash the dal and set aside.
- Heat oil in a pan.
- Add mustard, urad dal, red chilies and jeera and allow mustard to crackle.
- Add the curry leaves, turmeric powder, hing, garlic and ginger and saute for a minute until slightly golden brown.
- Add the chopped onions with some salt and saute until slightly brown all over.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and green chilies and saute until the tomatoes and cooked and mushy.
- Add the dry spices – cumin powder, red chili powder and garam masala and saute for a minute or two, until oil oozes out. That seems to be key in most punjabi-style bases. Make sure the spices don’t burn though.
- Add a cup of water (more or less to bring to desired consistency) and bring to a simmer. Add more salt and/ or chilli powder to taste.
- Add the mashed dal and mix everything well until combined.
- Bring to a simmer on med heat and turn off the stove.
- Add chopped coriander / cilantro and lime juice and serve with rice or rotis.
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Dazzling DAL.