Dal Tadka Dhaba Style (Indian Lentil Soup)

Dal Tadka is a simple, easy, and quick Indian staple food. If you love lentils, try this authentic dal tadka recipe in restaurant style. This is a vegan, gluten-free, and protein-rich dish.

What is Dal Tadka?

This is Indian lentil soup with a tempering of flavorful spices (Tadka). You can make this dal tadka with only toor dal or yellow pigeon pea lentils or mix it with other lentils (like moong bean lentils, red lentils, Bengal gram, etc.). Toor dal is the main ingredient and is taken in large quantities.

This is one of India's staple foods. Along with the varieties of lentils available in the market, there are numerous recipes you can develop with them.

Read my dal recipes collection on blog.

What is Tadka (Tempering)?

Tadka is the main ingredient that brings out or enhances the flavors of the dal. The dal is usually cooked with salt and turmeric powder, then tempered twice for extra flavor.

In the first tempering, we use tomato, garlic, onion, coriander powder, chili powder, and hing (asafoetida). Then add dal and simmer for 2 - 3 minutes.

Next, add the second tempering with ghee (clarified butter), hing, garlic, cumin seeds, and dried red chili before serving. This tempering adds so much flavor to the dal.

Add ghee, hing, and garlic generously; these three ingredients are real taste enhancers in this dal tadka. The second tadka is optional, but it adds to the flavor.

The ratio of lentils in the dal tadka (mixed lentils) should be:

Toor dal 3 parts, moong dal 2 parts, and masoor dal 1 part. So if you are taking ¾ cup toor dal, add ½ cup moong dal and ¼ cup masoor dal. Adding moong and masoor enhances the consistency and taste of the dal or lentil soup. You can add ¼ cup of chana dal here for a creamier consistency.

However, you can make your dal tadka with either toor dal and moong dal or toor dal and masoor dal. Read my mixed moong masoor dal tadka recipe and whole urad dal recipe.

The tempering adds real flavor and makes plain toor dal (split pigeon pea lentils) aromatic and delicious.

How to use leftover dal tadka?

If you have leftover dal and don't want to take it as it is, add tamarind paste and sambar masala spice and serve as a side for idli and dosa. The second thing I do with my leftover dal is to add wheat flour (atta) to make dal paratha. This is an easier way to make kids who don't like to eat dal as dal.

How To Make Dal Tadka?

To make this restaurant-style dal tadka, make a mixture of toor dal, moong dal, and masoor dal in said proportion (3:2:1). Pressure cook with salt, turmeric, and water for 5 - 7 minutes or till dal is cooked well (appx 4 - 5 whistles).

Then, heat ghee or oil in a pan. Add chopped ginger, garlic, onions, and green chilies and saute until translucent.

Then add the chopped tomato and saute again until it's cooked and soft. Add the red chili powder and turmeric powder and mix well.

Then, pour the boiled lentils into the tadka. Check the salt and add if necessary. Add some water to achieve the desired consistency if the mixture is thick.

Double tadka

Now prepare another tempering with jeera and hing. Hing (asafoetida) plays an important role in Indian dal recipes, adding that extra punch of flavor. Apart from flavor, hing helps in the digestion of lentils.

Take a small tadka pan. Heat some more ghee or clarified butter. Add cumin seeds, ginger, garlic, and hing to the pan, and keep it on low flame. Add in some dry red chilies. Keep the flame low.

After a minute, or once the cumin has crackled completely and the garlic is a little brown, pour the tempering onto the dal and immediately cover it with a lid. This will help absorb all aromatic spices into our prepared Dal Tadka.

Recipe Card For Dal Tadka (Dhaba Style)

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