Nothing like a bowl of dal tadka that screams cozy and comforting! Made with yellow split pigeon lentils, this tour or arhar dal is made with simple spices and packed with plant-based protein and fiber for the perfect, satisfying meal!

This Indian Dal makes a quick vegan dinner.

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WHAT IS DAL TADKA

Dal is made with dried split pulses, lentils, beans, and peas. All over India, It is also referred to as dal, dhal, dahl, or daal. Dal is almost always served as a side dish with a bowl of basmati rice or some piping hot roti or chapati.

There are at least a dozen kinds of lentil varieties in Indian cuisine, from the chubby, buttery kali masoor dal (my favorite) to the soupy, smooth pink masoor dal (my dad’s favorite) to the tiny baby food–like split moong dal (any small child or sick person’s favorite!). Growing up, we ate them all, with various combinations of seasonings and vegetables. We were equal opportunity dal eaters.

And, Tadka is tempering or seasoning the boiled dal with spices and ghee. So, the literal translation of Dal Tadka is Dal=lentil and tadka=tempering.

Dal Tadka is my favorite dish ever!! For me, nothing screams comfort and utter satisfaction than a bowl of freshly made dal with some rice and a few hot chutneys like Spicy Tomato Chutney or some Peanut Chutney on the side. My love for Dal is so strong that, whenever we would eat out in India Restaurants all over the world, I would always have a bowl of dal tadka. Even though I make dal almost every alternative day at home, yet, when I go out, I still want to eat what you anyway eat everyday. 🙂

I probably inherited the love for dal (any variety) from my dad. My mom would jokingly say that she couldn’t feed us enough dal.

This recipe makes the best homemade Dal ever. It is made in an instant pot, which saves you a ton of time.

WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS YELLOW DAL TADKA RECIPE

Arhar Dal or Toor Dal or Pigeon Peas are a great source of folic acid, proteins, and fiber.

This dal recipe is Vegan and Gluten free

Easiest dal recipe ever!!!

Compliments so well with some rice or naan. Or, enjoy a bowl of dal as is.

This comforting toor dal tadka is nutritious, wholesome, really easy to prepare, and kid-friendly.

The best part is that it comes together pretty quickly with easy ingredients.

They’re inexpensive, quick-cooking, and endlessly versatile.

Simple, precise and delicious. Perfect comfort food for Sunday night dinner with bonus leftovers for the week.

Dal is unbelievably easy to cook, it clings to seasonings well, and it’ll keep in your freezer forever.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE DAL TADKA

My recipe for Dal Tadka is very simple. If you follow the steps, you could easily make this delicious side dish anytime. The ingredients are usually in your pantry and even if you don’t have something, in particular, you can easily find it at your nearest leading grocery stores.

Dal: I have used yellow dal in this recipe. Yellow dal is also known as toor dal, yellow split pigeon dal, sambar-wali dal, or arhar dal. Most grocery stores these days carry toor dal. If you are in the USA, you can find toor dal in Costco.

Tomatoes: I used good quality vine tomatoes to make the tadka.

Ginger & Garlic Paste: I have used only 1 TBSP of ginger-garlic paste. You would need about 3 cloves of garlic and 1 inch of ginger to make the paste. If you have a small blender, blend the fresh garlic and ginger with a bit of water to make a paste. If you don’t have a blender, you can use a mortar pestle to make a paste.

Ghee: I have used Ghee to prepare the tadka. Ghee gives you that authentic restaurant-style dal tadka flavor. If you aren’t very fond of ghee, then use olive oil.

Salt, Hing (asafetida) & Turmeric

Cilantro: For garnishing

STEP BY STEP PROCESS TO MAKE DAHL (INSTANT POT & STOVE TOP)

INSTANT POT METHOD OF MAKING DAL TADKA

Wash and soak dal for 30 minutes
Tit urn on the Instant Pot and set to Sauté mode. Once it’s heated, add ghee, asafetida, and cumin seeds.
Once the cumin seeds start to sizzle, add the finely chopped tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste, salt, and turmeric. Fry for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, till tomatoes start to soften.
Let it cook for a couple of minutes till the tomatoes start to pulp and come together.
Mix in the soaked lentils and water and let it come to a quick boil. Put on the lid and set the Instant Pot to Manual Pressure Cook mode for 15 minutes, making sure that the valve is in the sealing position.
Let the pressure release naturally before removing the lid. Give it a good stir and garnish with cilantro leaves before serving.

STOVE TOP METHOD OF MAKING QUICK AND EASY DAL RECIPE

Wash and soak toor dal for 30 minutes
Transfer the soaked dal (without the soaking water) to a medium pot and pour in 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. (Watch carefully as the water can boil over quickly.) Cook, skimming foam from surface until the mixture stops foaming, about 3 minutes. Stir in turmeric. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer until tender, 45-50 minutes.
In a non-stick pan, heat ghee. Add cumin or jeera, a pinch of hing or, asafetida. Once the cumin starts to crackle, add tomatoes (finely chopped) and ginger garlic paste, turmeric or Haldi, and salt.
Cook on high heat for a minute and then lower the heat, cover the pan and let the seasoning cook and simmer. It will take about 10 minutes or so for the tomatoes to be thoroughly cooked. Keep stirring from time to time.
Once the tadka is ready, add it to the boiled dal. Simmer for a few more minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

VARIATIONS

Add baby spinach straight from the package into the tadka and then mix in the spinach tadka with the boiled dal to make dal palak.

Add zucchini or squash to add more texture

PRO TIPS

Any dal can be a weeknight dinner staple. Cook a big pot of dal tadka on weekend to be enjoyed throughput the weekdays.

Once the Dal is done cooking, if you’d like the consistency on the Dal thinner, then set the Instant Pot to Saute mode, add in some water and let it come to a boil. If you’d like it thicker, then set the Instant-Pot to Saute mode and let it cook down slightly, stirring occasionally to avoid burning.

HOW DO YOU ENJOY DAL

Enjoy a bowl of Yellow Dal Tadka with

A bowl of Basmati Rice, with some Spicy Tomato Chutney on the side. You can top the dal with a spoonful of ghee, to add an extra shot of wholesomeness.