Dal Tadka

Last year when we visited Delhi I fell in love with Punjabi cuisine. I must say Punjabi food is simply the best! Yes they do use a lot of desi ghee (clarified butter) in all their food which makes it so rich and mouth watering. The most commonly curry I had there was “dal tadka’. Gosh! They are so delicious. Once i reached back home i always kept craving for them every now and then, and here’s a recipe that’s almost close to the one I had.

Ingredients:

Red lentils/Masoor dal – 1 cup

Onion – 1 chopped

Tomato – 2 medium, chopped

Garlic – 3 chopped

Water – 3 cups

Turmeric – ¼ tsp

Ghee – 1 tbsp

For tempering:

Ghee – 3 tbsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp

Dry red chillies – 2 to 3

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Ginger – 1 inch, chopped

Hing – a pinch

Salt – to taste

Coriander leaves – for garnishing

Method:
Wash the lentils well in cold water until the water runs clear.

Heat ghee in a saucepan and add onions and garlic along with salt and turmeric. Sauté until the onions are transparent.

Add the chopped tomatoes and sauté for another 2 minutes

Add the lentils along with 3 cups of water. You can adjust the amount of water once the lentils are cooked according to your preference.

Stir and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, close with a lid and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until cooked. Once the lentils are cooked, give them a stir and adjust the amount of water as per your liking.

In another pan, heat the remaining ghee. Add mustard seeds and when they start popping, add the cumin, ginger, red chillies, hing and curry leaves.

Add it to the dal. Give it a quick stir and serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.