Tadka Dal/ Lentil Curry

Prep time:15 mins.    Cook time: 10 mins.

Cuisine: Indian           Serves: 8

Tadka dal or the Dal fry is the most popular Indian curry made from lentils and spices.

Ingredients

for pressure cooking the dal
1 cup Toor dal
3 Cups of water for pressure cooking the dal

for preparing the dal 

1 large onion, finely chopped
1 -2 green chilies, deseeded and slit 
2 - 3 dry red chilies, kept whole 
10 to 12 curry leaves
3 to 4 garlic cloves finely chopped 
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 pinch of asafoetida (hing) powder ( optional)
1 tsp turmeric powder
½  tsp red chili powder ( optional)
1 tsp garam masala powder

2 Tbsp Oil or ghee (clarified butter)
½  tsp lemon juice, (optional)
1-2 Tbsp coriander leaves (cilantro leaves) 
2 cups of water or as required
Salt to taste

Directions:

1 Take 1 cup toor dal, rinse 2-3 times. Pressure cook the dal with 3 cups of water for 8-9 whistles on medium flame and set aside.

2 In another pan heat ghee, Add mustard, cumin, curry leaves, garlic,  green and red chili and let them splutter for a minute.

3 Next Add onions and fry till they become translucent or light brown.

4 Now add the dal and 2 cups of water or as required and mix well. Then add all the spice powders - turmeric powder, red chili powder, asafoetida powder, garam masala, salt to taste and mix.

5 Stir and simmer the dal for 5-6 mins. or until you get a smooth and slightly thick consistency. Lastly add chopped coriander and cook for a minute. Add lemon juice( optional) and stir well.

While serving top the dal fry with some ghee or butter and some more fresh coriander if required.

Recipe Notes

• Dal fry is not thin and is usually has a medium to thick consistency. So you can adjust the amount of water you want. Keep the dal medium consistency if you prefer, as making it thin will change it’s taste.
• You can also add 1 tsp kasturi methi for additional flavour if you like.
• You can use Toor dal , chana dal or masoor dal, or a mixture of any.