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5 from 1 vote

Dal Tadka Recipe

Dal tadka is a hearty and comforting Indian soup made with lentils, chilis, and tons of earthy spices. It’s packed with robust flavors!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: soups
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 4
Author: Kevin

Ingredients

Soup

Tadka

  • 2 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 dried red chilis kashmiri preferred, broken and seeds removed
  • 1 teaspoon dry fenugreek leaves crushed
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke optional

Instructions

  • Rinse and soak the lentil for 30 minutes.
  • To a Dutch oven or large soup pot heat the ghee and saute onions and chiles for 2 minutes and add remaining Soup ingredients along with drained lentils.
  • Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
  • In a large skillet over medium heat add the ghee and cumin seeds. When they begin to sputter and crackle, add remaining tadka ingredients, stirring and saute on low for 2 minutes.
  • Using a potato masher or immersion blender (stick blender) mash to desired consistency. I like to leave it slightly chunky and loose. Season to taste.
  • Serve with cilantro and tadka spooned over each bowl of lentils.

Notes

1. Substitute with combination of 1/2 split pigeon pea lentils (arhar dal) and 1/2 cup red lentils (masoor dal).

Nutrition

Calories: 276kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 315mg | Potassium: 559mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 951IU | Vitamin C: 51mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 4mg