30-Minute Dal Tadka with Sizzling Ghee Tempering

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Split yellow lentils simmered soft with turmeric and ginger, then finished with a hissing spoonful of ghee bloomed with cumin, garlic and dried chilies. The tadka goes on at the very last second — that pour is where all the flavor comes from, and it takes 90 seconds.

Ingredients

• 1 cup toor dal (split pigeon peas) or masoor dal
• 4 cups water, plus more as needed
• 3/4 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tsp neutral oil

• 3 tbsp ghee (or 2 tbsp ghee + 1 tbsp neutral oil)
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 whole dried red chilies (such as Kashmiri or árbol), broken in half
• 1 small serrano or Thai green chili, slit lengthwise
• 1 pinch asafoetida (hing), optional
• 1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder or sweet paprika

• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Steamed basmati rice or warm roti, for serving

Instructions

1. Rinse 1 cup toor dal in a bowl under cool water, swishing and draining 3 or 4 times until the water runs mostly clear. Drain well.
2. Combine the dal, 4 cups water, turmeric, grated ginger, chopped tomato, 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1 teaspoon neutral oil (it keeps the foam down) in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, uncovered, skimming off any gray foam that rises in the first 2 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to a steady low simmer, set the lid on ajar, and cook 20 to 25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes and scraping the bottom, until the lentils have completely collapsed and no longer hold their shape. Add 1/2 cup hot water if it thickens before the dal is tender. (Pressure cooker shortcut: 8 minutes at high pressure, 10-minute natural release.)
4. Whisk the dal briskly for 20 seconds to break it down into a loose, creamy purée — it should be the consistency of heavy cream and fall off a spoon in a ribbon. Thin with hot water as needed, taste, and add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt if it needs it. Keep warm over the lowest heat and transfer to a serving bowl.
5. Make the tadka: melt the ghee in a small skillet or metal tempering pan over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the cumin seeds. They should sizzle immediately and start to darken and smell toasty in about 30 seconds — if nothing happens, the fat is not hot enough.
6. Add the sliced garlic, dried red chilies and slit green chili. Cook 45 to 60 seconds, swirling constantly, until the garlic is golden at the edges. Do not let it go brown or it will turn bitter.
7. Pull the pan off the heat. Add the asafoetida (if using) and the Kashmiri chili powder, swirl for 5 seconds only — the residual heat blooms the powder without scorching it — then immediately pour the whole sizzling mixture over the dal in the serving bowl. It should hiss loudly.
8. Let it sit 30 seconds, then stir half the tadka in and leave the rest pooled on top. Add the lemon juice and cilantro, stir once, and serve hot with basmati rice or roti.

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Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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