Masoor dal tadka recipe – a simple dal tadka recipe using red lentils or masoor dal. This dal tadka recipe needs no pressure cooker so it’s perfect for bachelors or those of you who don’t use or have a pressure cooker handy. Masoor dal cooks easily and I usually pre-soak the lentils, making it cook even faster. Although it started well into my 20s, dal and rice is comfort food for sure. In Kerala cooking, masoor dals rarely feature and we usually stick to moong dal and toor dal to make the usual kootu and sambar. Masoor dal has a distinct reddish-pink colour that turns yellow on cooking, and a flavour that goes so well with a strong tadka or tempering. Pin While dal is most efficiently cooked to a mush in a pressure cooker, you don’t have to have one, especially if you want to make dal tadka with easier-to-cook lentils. I pre-soak all dal before cooking because not only does it help to cook the dal quicker, it also helps break down complex sugars and carbs in the dal. Apparently, watering plants with the water used to soak the dal works well but I haven’t tried this yet. My balcony garden is going through a rough patch currently, need to re-pot and re-sow everything. More dal recipes on Edible Garden: Tomato capsicum dal Beetroot leaves dal Bok choy dal Jeera dal Sweet and sour moong dal Methi dal Step by Step Masoor Dal Tadka Recipe Wash and soak the dal for 1-2 hours. One hour should be sufficient, but soak it a bit longer if you have time Pin In a heavy-bottomed pan, add enough water to cover the dal by two inches along with turmeric powder and bring to boil Pin Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the lentils are cooked soft Pin Cook covered on very low heat to speed up the process Pin Once the dal is cooked, mash it with the back of a spoon and add more water to bring to the right consistency PinPin In the meantime, prepare the rest of the ingredients, chop the onion, garlic, and tomatoes Pin For tempering, start with heating the ghee Pin and add mustard seeds and cumin Pin When the mustard seeds pop and the cumin seeds sizzle, add the onions, red chillies, and garlic (remove stems from the red chillies, don’t be like me) Pin When the garlic turns a light brown and the onions start to brown, add curry leaves and hing Pin Fry for another minute or so or until the onions turn a golden brown Pin Now add the tomatoes, salt, and sugar (if using) Pin Cook until the tomatoes turn soft (around 4-5 minutes) Pin Add tempering to the cooked dal Pin Mix well and add lime juice. Test for salt levels and add more as needed Pin Serve hot with rice and any curry Pin Notes:
You can use a mix of different dal to make this dish. For speedier cooking, pressure cook the dal for 15 minutes or 3-4 whistles before tempering If you want a spicier dal, use red chilli powder or green chillies when cooking the dal or tempering Garnish with chopped coriander leaves if you have some handy
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