Lasooni Dal Tadka (Garlic Dal)

lasooni dal tadka recipe, garlic dal tadka recipe

5 from 1 vote

Lasooni Dal Tadka is a mildly spiced and tempered, garlic flavored lentil dish that is made with toor dal or arhar dal (pigeon pea lentils), garlic, onions, herbs and spices. Unlike other lentil recipes, Dal Lasooni features more garlic for that nutty, aromatic garlicky flavor.

Prep Time20

Cook Time5

Total Time25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Vegetarian

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Servings:

Calories: 125kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

Ingredients

For Cooking Lentils

½ cup arhar dal (pigeon pea lentils or tuvar dal/tur dal)
1.5 to 1.75 cups water - for pressure cooking the lentils
1 to 1.5 tablespoons garlic - peeled & finely chopped
¼ cup onions - finely chopped
1 to 2 green chillies - chopped or slit
1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
salt as required

For Tempering

1 teaspoon garlic - peeled & finely chopped
½ teaspoon cumin
1.5 to 2 tablespoons Ghee
½ teaspoon Kashmiri Chilli Powder or sweet paprika
1 pinch asafoedita (hing)
½ teaspoon dry fenugreek leaves - crushed, (kasuri methi)

For serving

1 to 2 tablespoons coriander leaves - chopped, for garnish
½ teaspoon lemon juice or add as required - optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cooking lentils

Rinse the tur dal in water 3 to 4 times. Drain all the water from the lentils.
Add rinsed lentils, onions, garlic, green chillies, turmeric and asafoetida/hing in a 2 litre stovetop pressure cooker.
Add water. Pressure cook the lentils for 10 to 11 minutes or 8 to 9 whistles on medium heat until you get a smooth mashable consistency in the dal.
Let the pressure drop naturally in the cooker. Then open the lid.
Check the cooked lentils. Mash the dal with a spoon or wired whisk.
If the dal become very thick, you can add some hot water and make it medium consistency.
You can also have a thick consistency in the lentils if you prefer. Season with salt. Stir to mix and set aside.

Making Lasooni Dal

Heat ghee or oil in a small pan. Splutter the cumin first on low to medium-low heat.
Then add garlic. Sauté the garlic for some seconds, stirring often. A lightly browned garlic is also fine.
Turn off the heat and add red chili powder, asafoetida (hing) and dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi). Stir and mix.
Pour the entire tempering in the prepared dal. Stir and mix again.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve Lasooni Dal hot, with steamed basmati rice or any variety of non-sticky rice. You can also serve it with roti and bread.
You can also add some lemon juice to the dal once cooked, to make it slightly tangy.

Notes

You could also make this Garlic Dal recipe with yellow moong lentils or chana dal. Keep in mind the water requirement and cooking time will vary according to the type of lentils you use.
The tur dal can be soaked in water for 30 minutes to an hour prior to cooking them. Make a note that the cooking time reduces for soaked lentils.
Keep the garlic quantity as mentioned in the recipe for a flavorful garlicky dal. You can reduce it slightly, but do not increase it.
The lentils have to be softened completely after cooking and must get mashed easily.
Adjust the consistency of the Dal Lasooni by adding less or more water.

Nutrition