Serve this great-tasting, healthy Easy Tarka Dal with Steaming Basmati Rice or Naan bread for a delicious flavorful meal. Tastes just like the one from the Indian restaurant in the comfort of your home. I really don’t know about yours, but my kids would happily tuck into this comforting tasty Dal Tarka at least once a week – That’s one nutritious mid-week dinner sorted.
This recipe is great for Vegetarians/ Vegans or anyone looking for a meat-free option. It’s the perfect accompaniment for spicer curries like Rogan Josh, Mushroom Bhaji, or even Chana Masala.
About this Super Easy Indian Dal Tarka
Okay, I am not even calling this a recipe, because it is super easy, versatile, and adaptable. Sometimes I make them only with red lentils (also known as masoor dal) or a combination of lentils like Toor dal, Moong Dal, Split Yellow Peas , Chana Dal, or just Moong Dal Tadka!
This recipe is adaptable and can be made with almost any lentils. But Don’t forget the important step – Tarka, which is either added on the top like a garnish or stirred into the dal. What makes this Dal Tadka recipe just like the Indian restaurant is the secret Ingredient Ghee.
My mum always added a Tarka to her Dal with ghee and hence her Dal is top-notch. Simply swap ghee for vegetable oil or sunflower oil for a Vegan Dhal Tarka.
Ghee adds the magic to dal, curries, and rice and makes any dish extra special. If you are wondering – Oh I don’t have ghee at home? It is easy to make at home and stays fresh for up to 3 weeks if properly stored. All you need is unsalted butter at room temperature to make Ghee ( Clarified Butter ).
Why make this Dal Tarka recipe?
- It is really Easy, Quick, and Budget-friendly. To make this really easy Dhal, I use split small red lentils ( which are easily available in most supermarkets in Asian Isle )
- A hearty dish made mostly with cupboard staples.
- Just like Takeaways or the ones they serve in Indian restaurants in the comfort of your home.
- Dhaal is Healthy – Red lentils are super easy to cook, packed with protein, iron, fiber, and vitamins.
- 30 minutes – Tuck into a healthy restaurant-style dish in under 30 minutes, still leaving you feeling nourished.
- Perfect for Busy Days
- You have at least half a packet of dried red lentils. And this recipe comes together in a jiffy!
- Great as a Beginner’s Indian food recipe and you really cannot go wrong with it!
What is Dal Tarka?
The word Dal means ‘Lentil Soup’ and Tarka translates to the act of ‘tempering/ frying spices in ghee / hot oil.’
When the spices begin to pop and sizzle, you add them towards the end of the cooking process, stir in, or/and at the top. Garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy.
What is Restaurant style Tarka Dal made of?
In the UK, restaurant style Daal is made with red lentils ( masoor dal ) as it cooks quickly and uniformly.
Dal is a staple ingredient in an Indian household, especially vegetarian/vegan. We cook with at least 10 different varieties on a regular basis, especially since it’s so comforting and nutritious.
At home, I make this Tarka Dal at least once a week with red lentils or a combination of lentils. Each of the dals has a different flavor and can have a huge impact on the outcome of the dal (in a good way! )
How to make Quick Dal Tarka?
For this, I highly recommend using a Pressure Cooker like Instant Pot or Ninja Foodie or Morphy Richards my pot or even traditional Indian stove top one.
Pressure Cooking the lentils will reduce the cooking time by half and you really do not need to babysit. Once the dal is cooked, prepare the tadka in a separate frying pan and add it right at the top. Garnish with coriander leaves and drizzle lemon juice if you like.
Although you can make it one pot, it tastes best when the tempering is added right at the top. Give it good mix and then serve hot.
We make Dal Tadka at least once a week. Although for a quicker Tarka Daal recipe, Red lentils work the best. Best of all – you can make this tasty dal in pot or even in a pressure cooker.
How long to cook red lentils?
To Cook On a Stove Top – Use a large saucepan for cooking lentils. Add the lentils, and enough water to boil. Do not cover too tightly as the liquid can boil over. Reduce heat and simmer until they are just tender. Skim any foam on the go. Split Red lentils take about 15-18 minutes. If you like it softer, cook for a longer time.
To Cook Red Lentils in Instant Pot – Place the washed lentils, and water in the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and turn the vent to seal. Pressure cook on HIGH for 5 minutes and NPR.
Do I have to rinse the Red Lentils?
Lentils, Beans, and Rice have debris and dirt. A typical packet does not say to rinse the lentils. However, it is necessary to wash red lentils in fresh water at least 4-5 times, until clear. Washing the lentils will remove the possibles dirt, starch, and foaming.
If you have plenty of red lentils in your pantry, consider making Dhal soup and carrot and red lentil soup.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Dal Tarka with Steamed rice, kachumber salad, and poppadom for a comforting meal. Masoor tarka Dal is easy to make plus so delicious and healthy.
Serve this easy Dhal in many ways –
- It’s the perfect accompaniment for spicer curries like Cauliflower chickpeas curry, Vegetable Jalfrezi, Rogan Josh, Mushroom Bhaji, or even Chana Masala. This recipe is great for Vegetarians/ Vegans or anyone looking for a meat-free option.
- As a component of the large Indian feast comprising of Okra Curry, Paneer Butter Masala, Naan bread, Mango chutney, Cucumber raita along with Vegetable Pakora,Onion bhaji, Samosa, and Mango Lassi..
- Along with Yellow pilau rice and a glass of cucumber lassi.
How to make Indian Red Lentil Dahl Tarka?
Ingredients
- 1 cup Red Lentils ( 190 g ) masoor dal
- 3 Cup Water
- 1 green chilies optional
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder
For Tarka
- 1 tbsp Ghee / Oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 Dried Red Chilli
- 1 medium Onion, diced
- 1 Inch Ginger
- 3 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Tomato diced diced
- ½ Tsp Turmeric
- ½ Tsp Chilli Powder
- ½ Tsp Coriander Powder
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp Coriander leaves
Instructions
Stove Top Instructions
- Wash the lentils at least 4-5 times in water until clear. Drain and set it aside.
- Add lentils, water, turmeric powder, green chilies (optional) to the saucepan and simmer over medium-high heat and cook until tender. Skim the foam on the top. Cooking lentils can take between 18- 20 minutes
- Once the lentils are cooked, simply whisk it through for a smooth consistency. Add another 1/4 -1/2 Cup water if the dal is too thick.
- Season with salt.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Place the washed lentils, 3 cup of water, turmeric, salt, green chilies to the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and turn the vent to sealing. Pressure cook on HIGH for 5 minutes and NPR.
Tadka for Dal
- Heat 1 tbsp ghee/oil in another pan and add cumin seeds, fennel seeds,dried red chillies and allow the seeds to pop.
- Add onion, ginger garlic and fry for 3 minutes until translucent.
- Add the tomatoes, spice powders, salt and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Pour the prepared Tarka to the lentils and stir. Cook again for another 1 minute.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and Serve restaurant dal Tarka with roti/rice for a comforting Indian meal.
Notes
- Cook dal as usual.
- Heat oil/ghee, add cumin, fennel, red chilies. Let them pop.
- Add 1/2 cup masala paste to cooked dal.
- Cook 3-4 mins, adjust consistency with water.
- Garnish with coriander. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Step by Step Instructions to make Tarka Dal
- Wash the red lentils ( masoor dal) at least 4-5 times in water until clear. The lentils generally have a lot of dirt, which clears well only by rinsing. Drain and set it aside. The first step is to add the red lentils, water, turmeric powder and green chilli if you like to the saucepan. Cover the saucepan with a lid checking in between. Simmer over medium-high heat and cook until tender. Skim the foam on the top. Cooking lentils can take between 18- 20 minutes.
- Once the lentils are cooked, simply whisk them through for a smooth consistency. Season with salt.
Tadka for Dal
- Heat the ghee in another frying pan. Once the ghee has melted, add a teaspoon cumin seeds, fennel seeds, dried red chillies, and allow the seeds to pop. If you are using asafoetida (optional), add a pinch at this stage.
- Add onion, ginger-garlic, and fry for 3 minutes until translucent. DO NOT BROWN THE ONIONS.
- Add the tomatoes, spice powders, salt and cook for 4-5 minutes. Just enough until the tomatoes are soft.
- Pour the prepared Tarka into the lentil dhaal and stir. Cook again for another 1 minute, so that the Tarka gets infused well.
- Garnish with fresh coriander leaves (cilantro). Serve restaurant dal Tarka with roti/rice for a comforting Indian meal.
LINKIES – I am linking this up to Cook Blog Share.
Michelle says
Super glad I stumbled upon this recipe! ALways loved ordering dal at restaurants. I have all the ingredients — can’t wait to give it a try!
Sandhya's Kitchen says
How amazing!! Do try this easy Tarka Dal. It’s easy, healthy, and satisfying. Plus – it tastes even better than from the restaurant.
Angela says
I was so happy with how quickly this dish came together. So much flavor!
Tawnie Kroll says
This was my first time making and it was so so delicious. Love the step by step photos too thank you!
Sharon Chen says
This looks so delicious! I’m excited to try this recipe soon!
maryanne says
I love dal and am always looking for new ways to make it! This sounds sooooo good! One question: if I substitute chana dal, do I need to make any adustments?
Kat (Kat's Veg Kitchen) says
This looks so delicious and such a vibrant colour, it’s so inviting!
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
I love tarka dal and always order it in restaurants but I haven’t made it myself. I have been meaning to for ages so I can’t wait to try this ASAP.
Sandhya's Kitchen says
Do try this easy Tadka Dal! It is quite a staple recipe in our household.. And we love it with Phulka roti or steamed white rice.
Barry Kings says
Lovely recipe, thank you!
Emma Klein says
A Tempting Dhal recipe!
Jessie says
I’d like to make this for my husband’s birthday because she loves Tarka Dal. I’m hoping for the best because this is the first time I’ve made the dish.
Yasmin says
I tried this last night but it didn’t turn out too well until I made some adjustments…
When adding 1 cup red lentils to 4 cups water, I thought it seemed like too much water and I was right. I cooked the lentils anyway for the specified time, and drained the remaining water off. The lentils though were very grainy and ‘dry’ by the end of it which wasn’t pleasant.
I did however manage to rectify it by adding 1/4 cup coconut cream, along with 1 cup cooked yellow split peas.
And I also doubled the amount of cumin and fennel seeds and added another diced tomato (ground the seeds and cooked in a frying pan for a few minutes with a little oil, before adding to the dal). I then added half a crumbled stock cube.
Although it smelt great when I made it as per your recipe, my partner and I both agreed that it was lacking in flavour compared to other times we’ve had tarka dal (which is my absolute favourite Indian dish – especially when pregnant which I am at the moment).
We still ended up with a very tasty dinner though, and we also omitted the chillies because our 4 year old and 1 year old were eating with us. They both thoroughly enjoyed it too.
Not convinced about your recipe as it is, however, the flavours together when we added more were very tasty and we will definitely make it again with the changes.
Sandhya's Kitchen says
Glad the tadka dal turned out tasty in the end.
The recipe provided here is a guide on how I make it and it works out perfectly. Most of my readers have got it right so far. A couple of factors need to be considered when cooking lentils – If they are old – they will require a longer cooking time. Also when you add coconut cream and another cup of yellow split peas – you will definitely need to add more spices because you have added more lentils. Plus since you are varying the ingredients from the original dal tadka, it will taste different.
Dianne says
Made this today and though it looked amazing it just lacked the depth of flavour and creaminess of a restaurant version
Sandhya's Kitchen says
Hi Dianne, thank you for your feedback. Well, it has turned out fabulous for most other readers, who have tried so far.
Tej says
Looks like you are a novice at cooking Indian food. This recipe is perfect. The more you practice cooking, the more perfect you will get the recipe. Good luck & happy cooking!
Leo says
This dish was so easy and delicious! Come and try it quickly if you haven’t!
Trent says
I tried this today and it was both tasty and good-looking. Thank you so much!
Will says
Made this tonight. Lovely flavour, warming and filling. I overcooked my lentils a little but I’ll definitely make it again and again. It worked beautifully with brown rice, salad and a beetroot raita. Thanks for sharing.
Lizzie says
I never ever leave comments on recipes but I just had to leave one here. This is absolutely delicious and tastes exactly like the ones I used to get from Indian restaurants when I was a child. I developed food allergies and was no longer to eat at restaurants due to the cross contamination risk and the use of ghee so I hadn’t had a dal tarka for years. This brought me right back and was soooo flavourful and comforting!!!
Sandhya's Kitchen says
Hi Lizzie, Thank you for message on our Tarka Dal recipe. So glad you loved it and has transported you to childhood. Your comment just made my day!
Sarah Razvi says
Made this for my Indian mother and sister. We kept going back for more helpings. Totally delicious. Thank you!
Sandhya's Kitchen says
Wow.. So pleased to know your family loved our easy comforting tarka dal.
Anna says
I’m really picky about tarka dhal and this one is really tasty! Thank you!
Sandhya's Kitchen says
So pleased you loved the tarka dal Anna. Thank you.
Kat says
Hi, this feels like a silly question, but when cooking the lentils with green chilli, do i chop the chilli? Or is it a whole chilli added as is? Thanks. Really looking forward to trying this recipe!
Sandhya's Kitchen says
Hi Kat, Not a silly question at all. You can either leave the whole green chilli for less spice or chop them into pieces for a bit more spice.
Georgie says
Hi Sandhya,
I am allergic to fennel. Can I replace the fennel seeds with something else?
Thanks 🙂
Sandhya's Kitchen says
Hi Georgie, Please leave the fennel seeds out in the recipe.
Georgie says
Awesome, thanks 🙂
Donna says
Could this be made in a slow cooker?
Sandhya's Kitchen says
Yes Tarka dal can be made in the slow cooker.Cook the dal in the slow cooker for 6 hours on HIGH or 8-9 hours on low. Make the tarka and keep it ready. Finally add it to the cooked dal.