Name: Dal Tadka
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 cup arhar dal (tuvar dal or split pigeon pea lentils) or ½ cup arhar dal + ½ cup masoor dal (split pink lentils); 1 or 2 green chilies (- chopped or slit lengthwise); 1 medium sized onion (- chopped); 2 medium sized tomatoes (- chopped); 1 inch ginger (- finely chopped or grated or about 1 teaspoon of grated or chopped ginger (optional)); ½ teaspoon turmeric powder; ½ teaspoon garam masala powder; 1 pinch asafoetida ((hing)); 2.5 cups water for pressure cooking; 1 teaspoon crushed kasuri methi ((dry fenugreek leaves)); 1 or 2 tablespoon cream ((optional)); 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves ((cilantro leaves)); salt as required; 3 tablespoon oil (or 3 tablespoon ghee or butter); 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; 5 to 6 garlic cloves (- finely chopped); 2 to 3 dry red chilies (- broken and seeds removed); a generous pinch of asafoetida ((hing)); ½ teaspoon red chili powder; 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves ((cilantro leaves)); a small piece of charcoal; ¼ teaspoon oil (or ghee (clarified butter))

Dal Tadka is a popular Indian lentil dish made with arhar dal or masoor dal and tempered in oil with spices and herbs. In this post I am sharing 2 versions of making dal tadka.

Restaurant Style Dal Tadka – Made on Stovetop and optional dhungar method.
Home Style Dal Tadka – Made in Instant Pot.

Both the recipes are easy and taste good. You can make either of them as per your preference. For making homestyle dal tadka on stovetop, check the notes section in the recipe card of instant pot dal tadka recipe.

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About Dal Tadka Restaurant Style

It is one of the most popular dal served in Indian restaurants. Basically, dal tadka are cooked lentils which are lastly tempered with oil or ghee fried spices & herbs.

I have to admit that I simply love the dal tadka that is served at the restaurants even though we hardly eat out. So I try to recreate the restaurant magic in most of the food that I make at home.

What does dal tadka mean

Dal is the Hindi term for lentils.
Tadka or chaunk is the Hindi term for tempering and is a commonly employed cooking technique in the Indian cuisine.
Tempering method has the spices & herbs fried in oil. The frying of the spices and herbs release their essential oils, aroma and flavor in the hot oil. Then this fried and spiced oil mixture is added to prepared lentils or cooked rice or steamed vegetables which greatly changes the flavor, aroma and taste of the dish. Tempering is very much a part of cooking Indian food. In fact we temper almost everything like dal, veggies, chutneys etc.

Lentils added

Tuvar dal – Generally dal tadka is made with tuvar dal or arhar dal also known as split pigeon pea lentils. In the post, I have shared the dal recipe made with tuvar dal.
Moong dal – Even moong lentils can be used to make the recipe. At times I make this recipe both with tuvar dal and moong dal. The recipe can also be made with a mix of masoor dal (red lentils) and pigeon pea lentils. If you want to use moong dal then you can refer this post – Moong Dal Tadka.

This Dal Tadka recipe is North Indian style than South Indian style.

Tips for making Dal Tadka

Preparation: It is quite easy to prepare. First, make the dal and then lastly temper it just before serving. You can also make the dal ready and keep in the fridge. Before serving heat the dal and then just temper it. Serve immediately. However for best taste always prepare the dal fresh. It not only tastes good but also a healthier choice.
Type of Lentils: You can make it with any yellow dal (split lentils). I make it sometimes with Arhar dal (split pigeon pea lentils) and Masoor dal (split pink lentils) and sometimes only with Arhar dal.
Tomatoes: I have added tomatoes to the dal tadka but you can skip adding tomatoes.
Dhungar Method: In the step by step pics below, I have illustrated the charcoal smoking method as I have got a few comments and requests for this technique. This method is called the dhungar in Hindi. You can easily skip this method if you don’t have charcoal.
Consistency: The dal tadka consistency is neither thick nor thin but medium. But if you prefer you can go for a slightly thick or thin dal consistency.
Soaking Lentils: You can also soak the dal for 30 to 40 minutes before cooking them. It helps in cooking the lentils faster and a recommended step.

The tempering adds a lot of flavor and aroma to the dal. The plain cooked creamy yellow dal gets paired beautifully with steamed rice or jeera rice (cumin flavored pilaf). For tempering you can add ghee instead of oil. I have used sunflower oil.

The Dal tadka can be served with rotis and chapatis and steamed basmati rice or cumin rice. At times I flavor the dal tadka with a smoky burnt aroma of blazing charcoal.

How to make Dal Tadka Restaurant Style

1. Rinse the lentils and add them to the pressure cooker. The below pic shows only tuvar (arhar dal or split pigeon pea lentils). You can also cook the lentils in a pot. Just soak the lentils for an hour or two before you cook them in a pot. Cooking the lentils in a pot, will take more time than cooking in the pressure cooker. Method on how to cook lentils in a pot is mentioned in the notes section of the recipe card below.

2. To the lentils, add chopped onions, tomato, green chilies, ginger.

3. Pour 2.5 cups of water. If cooking in a pot, then about 4 to 4.5 cups of water can be added.

4. Add turmeric powder and asafoetida (hing).

5. Stir well.

6. Pressure cook the lentils for about 7 to 8 whistles or more till they become soft and creamy. Mash the dal with a wired whisk or with a spoon and keep aside. If the dal looks thick, then add some water. About ½ cup to 1 cup water (depending on the thickness of the dal) to get a medium consistency. Simmer the dal for 3 to 4 minutes. Consistency of the lentils in the below pic.

7. Once the desired consistency is reached, add cream (optional), garam masala powder, crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves), chopped coriander leaves and salt. Switch off the fire. Please note crushed kasuri methi can also be added in the tempering later and skipped at this step.

8. Mix well so that everything combines uniformly. check salt before you add the tempering. If less than add more salt.

9. The final consistency of the dal.

Optional – dhungar method for dal tadka

10. Next is the dhungar method of flavoring the dal tadka with the smoky fumes of burnt charcoal. For this with the help of tongs or on a grill pan like shown in the pic below, place a small piece of charcoal. Burn the charcoal till it becomes red hot. Please use natural charcoal for this method. Note that This is an optional step and you can proceed directly to the tempering method.

11. Place the red hot charcoal in a small steel bowl. You can also use onion layers or a halved hollow onion for the same.

12. Pour about ¼ tsp of oil or ghee on the charcoal. You will see fumes emanating as soon as you pour oil or ghee on the hot charcoal.

13. Place this bowl on the dal.

14. Cover the cooker or the pot with a lid and let the dal get infused with the charcoal smoke. Just keep for 1 to 2 minutes. The more you keep. The more smoky the dal will become. Remove the bowl carefully with the help of tongs and cover the dal. Keep aside.

Making tempering for dal tadka

15. Next heat oil or ghee or butter in a small pan. First, add cumin seeds and crackle them. The cumin should get fried and not be raw, but don’t burn them.

16. now add red chilies, asafoetida and chopped garlic. Let the garlic brown and the red chilies change color.

17. Lastly add kasuri methi (add kasuri methi, if you have not added them before to the dal) and red chili powder. Stir and switch off the stove. Make sure to fry the tempering ingredients at a low flame, so that you don’t burn them.

18. Pour entire tempering along with the oil/ghee into the dal.

19. You can mix the dal with tempering or Serve the dal tadka with the tempering on top it. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve it hot with steamed basmati rice, cumin rice or with Indian flatbreads like roti or paratha or chapati.

Dal is a staple in Indian food. India has so many varieties of dal recipes. Each region, each state having their own delicious recipes. Few more Popular dal recipes are:

This recipe post is from the archives (July 2012) and has been republished and updated on 4 June 2020.

About Instant Pot Dal Tadka

Dal is a staple at home and I make them in different varieties. What I am sharing in this post, is a version that has been made for decades and is still being made.

A family recipe and one which I make often. A comforting and nourishing dal recipe which I hope you enjoy as much as we do. This is a vegan recipe and can be made gluten-free by skipping asafoetida.

There are many variations of making dal tadka. This instant pot recipe is a home-style version and tastes good like an everyday home cooked food.

After getting the instant pot, I have been making dal in it. I have stopped using the stove-top pressure cooker completely. Thus I have updated this post with the instant pot method also. I have included the stovetop method of this homestyle dal tadka in the recipe card.

At times I even cook the rice along with the dal. I usually serve this dal tadka with roti (Indian flatbread) or steamed rice. So when making rice, I cook the rice and dal together in the IP.

It is best served with some steamed basmati rice. You can also serve with chapati or roti or dinner rolls.

How to make Instant Pot Dal Tadka

1. Take ½ cup arhar dal (tuvar dal or pigeon pea lentils) in a bowl or colander.

2. Rinse a couple of times and add the rinsed dal in the instant pot steel insert.

3. Add ⅓ heaped cup sliced onions, ⅓ cup chopped tomatoes, 2 green chillies or serrano peppers (sliced, slit or chopped).

4. Add ½ tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder and a pinch of asafoetida (hing).

5. Pour 1.5 cup water. Mix well.

6. Mix very well. At this step if you plan to cook rice, then place a tall trivet and add rice+water in a steaming pan. Place the pan on the trivet.

7. Switch on the IP. Secure the lid and position the steam release handle to sealing. Press the pressure cook button and set the timer for 15 minutes on high pressure.

Depending on the quality and age of lentils, it can take 10 to 15 minutes. I prefer the dal to be cooked really well and mushy without any separate grains visible, so I cook the lentils for 15 minutes.

At times I have even cooked the lentils for 20 minutes. So depending on the quality of dal, you can decide upon the timing. Anyways, even if the lentils are undercooked, you can always pressure cook for some more minutes later.

8. Give NPR (natural pressure release) after 10 minutes. Release the pressure after 10 minutes and open the IP lid. The lentils have to be cooked very well and become soft and mushy.

If the consistency of dal looks thick, then add some hot water to thin it. If dal looks thin, then use the sauté option and simmer dal for a few minutes.

9. With a spoon lightly mash the dal. If the dal looks thick, you can add some hot water.

10. Season with salt as per taste and stir very well. Cover the cooked dal with the IP lid and begin with the tempering

Preparing tempering (tadka)

11. In a small pan or tadka pan, heat 2 tablespoon oil. Keep the flame to low or medium-low. Add ½ teaspoon small mustard seeds.

12. Let the mustard seeds crackle.

13. Then add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds.

14. The cumin seeds will crackle as soon as you add them in oil. Let them change their color.

15. Then add 4 to 5 medium garlic cloves, crushed lightly with their peels on. You can also slice or chop the garlic. Fry for some seconds stirring often. The garlic can be a light golden but do not brown them or burn them.