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About Tadka Dal
Garlic in Hindi means lasooni; lentil means dal and tempering or seasoning means tadka or bagar or chaunk in Hindi. Lasooni dahl tadka also known as tarka daal means lentils tempered with garlic. While making dal at home on busy days, I give a very simple tadka with garlic, curry leaves, hing, and mustard seeds for boiled dal. Today’s post about garlic dal is about making restaurant-style dal tadka at home. Tadka dal is a North-Indian dhal recipe popular among restaurants, dhabas where the dal is first pressure cooked and then tempered twice with ghee, garlic, and basic Indian aromatic spices. This is then served with steamed rice, ghee rice, jeera rice, or any Indian flatbread from roti or chapati to soft and fluffy naan bread for a complete and simple Indian vegetarian meal. Dal means any Indian lentil, and to make tadka dahl, any variety of dal can be used, with the most popular one being toor dal (arhar dal or split pigeon peas). You can also make tadka with moong dal, and masoor dal, or combine the days to make it more nutritious. Dal tarka prepared with the toor dal is yellow, also called yellow dal tadka.
Dal Makhani vs. Dal Tadka
Dal makhani and tadka dal are two popular Indian dal dishes made with dal (lentils) but have differences in ingredients, flavors, and texture. Dal makhani is a popular Punjabi dish that is rich and creamy and prepared using black lentils (urad dal) and kidney beans (rajma), cream, and aromatic spices. Making it at home is time-consuming as you have to simmer it for a long time to get the best flavors. Dal Tadka is popular across India, with each region having its own variations. A lighter version of dal with a thinner consistency and more vibrant flavors is prepared on daily using basic pantry ingredients.
Dal Fry vs. Dal Tadka
Dal fry means adding the cooked dal to the sauteed or fried ingredients and then simmering it for some time to combine the flavors. Dal tadka is dal fry poured with aromatic tadka or seasoning. Some restaurants also list dal tadka as dal fry tadka.
Ingredients
Dal: For traditional dhaba or restaurant-style flavor, use toor dal (split pigeon peas or arhar daal). To make it nutritious, you can combine moong dal and masoor dal. Learn more about the list of Indian dal and lentils. Tempering (tadka) 1: To make the tarka, aromatic spices like cumin, coriander powder, garam masala powder, turmeric, red chile powder, and kasuri methi is used along with the basic onion, garlic, ginger, green chilies, and tomatoes. Tempering (tadka) 2: You will need ghee, hing, cumin seeds, red chilies, and lots of garlic cloves. Ghee: For the best dal, always temper it with desi ghee. Only to make it vegan, use the oil of your choice. See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Step-by-step instructions
Cook dal
Making of dal fry
Making the lasooni tadka dal
Pro tips to make the best garlic tadka dal recipe
I love to add fresh garlic and ginger over the store-bought paste in my recipes. For the best result, add freshly grated, chopped, or crushed ginger and garlic to the recipe. Dal tempered with homemade desi ghee has the best flavor and will be missing when oil is used. But if you are a vegan, use oil instead. We prefer and use toor dal while making most of our dal curry recipes daily. You can combine the dal or use make moong dal or masoor dal for a healthy weight loss dal. Dal thickens as it cools. So adjust to the desired consistency. Vary all the spices to adjust to taste.
Serving suggestions
Dal tarka is a comforting and satisfying dish that can be served with plain steamed rice, flavored jeera rice or ghee rice, naan, roti, chapati, or even bhatura. Dal thickens as it cools down. Adjust the consistency to your liking. My family prefers a thicker version while eating it with roti, chapati, phulka, and a thinner version while serving it with rice varieties. Serve it with any Indian stir fry, curry, or gravy of your liking. Dal is one Indian dish that goes well with anything.
Instant pot dal tadka (garlic dal)
Wash and drain the dal and keep it aside. Turn on the saute mode of your IP and heat the ghee. Add cumin seeds. When they start to splutter, add garlic and saute until it becomes light. Add onion, ginger, and green chilies and saute until translucent. Add tomatoes, coriander leaves, turmeric, coriander, red chile, garam masala powder, and salt, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the dal, water, and kasuri methi and give it a nice stir. Close the lid of your IP with a vent in the sealing position. Cancel the saute and pressure cook for 6 minutes. Manually release the pressure after 5 to 10 minutes. Open the lid, stir the dal. If it is thick, you can water it and adjust it to desired consistency. Make the tempering 2 (garlic tadka) in a small pan and add it on top of the cooked dal.
More Indian Dal Recipes
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Recipe card
