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Dal Tadka (Tempered Lentils)

Name: Dal Tadka (Tempered Lentils)
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Serves 2
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 200g Lentils; 1 Tomato; 1/2 Onion; 2 cloves Garlic; 1 knob Ginger; 1 tsp Cumin seed; 1/2 tsp Turmeric; 2 tbsp Vegetable oil

Main Dish

⏱ 30 min

👥 Serves 2

Difficulty ⭐

Lentils finished fragrant with tempered spices — a bean dish that appears on the Indian table nearly every day.

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📖 The Story Behind This Dish

"Dal" refers to lentils and pulses in general, and "tadka" refers to the technique of blooming spices in hot oil to finish a dish with fragrance. So fundamental that some form of dal appears on Indian tables almost daily, the exact spice blend varies subtly by region and household.

🌆 Where it's eaten: Poured over freshly steamed rice or scooped up with naan — an unpretentious, everyday flavor. The sizzle of the tadka being poured on at the end is part of the appeal.

🥕 Ingredients (serves 2)

Lentils 200g
Tomato 1
Onion 1/2
Garlic 2 cloves
Ginger 1 knob
Cumin seed 1 tsp
Turmeric 1/2 tsp
Vegetable oil 2 tbsp

👩‍🍳 Instructions

Rinse the lentils briefly, then simmer from cold water with the turmeric until tender.
Heat oil in a separate pan and pop the cumin seeds, then sauté the minced garlic, ginger, and onion.
Add the tomato and cook down until it breaks apart, bringing out the fragrance (this is the "tadka").
Add the tempered tadka to the cooked lentils and mix together.
Season with salt, adjusting the consistency with water to taste.

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