Dal Tadka

There are innumerable varieties of dal depending on the ingredients and methods used. It can range from simple with just few ingredients and easy cooking process to exotic with elabarorate cooking methods, like the restaurant style ones. It can be made with or without onion garlic, pressure cooked or cooked over stove top. Whatever be the ingredients and process, dal is generally considered a comfort food when made at home. This dal recipe falls in between simple and exotic as far as method is considered, but when it comes to taste and flavour it is as good as dal served in restaurants.

I generally make dal by pressure cooking moong/masoor dal with turmeric, tomato and green chilly. Once cooked, just add a tadka of mustard and jeera. There is no onion or garlic and it hardly takes 5 minutes of your time to make this dal. Best for a weeknight dinner. Though this simple dal is my favourite, husband generally loves anything with onion-garlic. So, got this recipe from my sister for a weekend dinner.

Recipe Source: My sister
Ingredients to serve 3 adults

Ingredients	Quantity	Notes/Comments
Moong Dal	1/2 cup	Masoor dal can also be used
Onion	1 medium or 2 small	Cut into small pieces
Garlic	2 cloves	Cut into small pieces
Tomato	1 medium	Cut into small pieces
Turmeric	less than 1/4th tsp	-
Oil	2 tsp	I used sunflower refined oil
Salt	To taste	around a tsp
Water	1 1/2 cups	1 cup if using masoor dal
Mustard, Cumin	1/2 tsp each
Curry leaves	10	-
Coriander leaves	10	To garnish
Green chilly	1 small	Red chilly can also be used.

Procedure
1. Cut garlic, onion, tomato into small pieces. Wash dal and keep aside
2. In a pan/kadai, heat a tsp of oil, add garlic.
3. Add onion once garlic turns light brown(around 10 seconds)
4. Add tomato after frying onion for a minute or two.
5. Finally add the washed dal and mix well. Switch off the flame.
5. Transfer the dal mixture to a vessel and pressure cook for 3 whistles, then simmer for 2 minutes before switching off the stove. If using masoor dal, cook for only 2 whistles.
6. When the cooker is ready to be opened, in the kadai, add the rest of the oil, mustard, cumin, green chilly and curry leaves.
7. When mustard splutter, add the cooked dal and cook for 2 minutes in medium flame and switch off. 8. Garnish with coriander leaves and server with roti/rice.

Still not clear???? Scroll down for step wise pictures...

 

 

 

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