A simple, healthy split yellow lentil (daal) recipe prepared with aromatics, seasoned with tomatoes and garlic, and flavored with spiced oil known as Tadka. A simple, quick, and perfect meatless Monday meal with side of steamed rice. This classic lentils recipe never gets old. It freezes well, is gluten free, vegan, and has potential to load-up with any seasonal veggies in-hand.
Two months ago, CDH completed 7 years. While I wanted to share something special for the occasion.. Our move made me change my plans. Last week, while cooking a simple weekday dinner of this Daal Tadka and Rice reminded me of old days when I started blogging.. This was one of the first recipe I posted on blog. So, I decided to take few clicks and revive this old post with some new pictures.. and give you flavor of old CDH. :)
Yellow Daal with Tadka (tempered spiced oil) is most humble lentil preparation and an every day recipe in every Indian household. Every region has their own version of this lentil stew. My recipe is most common in Northern region. Over time, my lentil Tadka recipe has grown as my taste and love for food has grown.. These days, I prepare it various ways depending upon the season and mood. Initially, I had planned to share another version of this Lentils today but felt.. I cannot do justice with new recipe until I revive my old post. I still plan to share the few other favorite versions of Daal Tadka. Check back soon. I will update all my shares here.
Like I said, this simple dish can also be served as a spiced soup. Serve bread to scoop the daal and splash of lemon juice to cut balance the flavor of spices. Even today, whenever I prepare Daal Tadka for dinner.. I save some leftovers for lunch. For lunch, I thin-out the daal with some water or vegetable stock, taste and adjust seasoning, warm it up, add splash of lemon juice. This easy step turns it into a lentil soup. A side of warm bread and this soup feels like a most comforting easy meal ever!
Make Ahead: Daal Tadka can be prepared 1-2 days in advance. It gets thick as it sits for long which can be fixed while re-heating the daal. Simply dilute with water and adjust seasonings (if needed). Reheat and enjoy!
All lentils are gluten free. So is this daal recipe. It is also nut free and vegan. In traditional preparation, clarified butter (called Ghee) is used to instead of oil for tempering. I like to only use oil and no butter which makes this recipe vegan and lighter.
I recommend loading daal with seasonal veggies such as small diced carrots, zucchini, or cauliflower. Boil with lentils for more flavor. Make it a loaded veggie and protein-full meatless weeknight dinner. If prefer, serve with rice, bread, or naan. Or a green citurs salad goes great as well.
No matter how you serve.. One thing is certain! You will fall in LOVE with the flavors and simplicity of this dish!
Must try!
PS: Yellow Daal Tadka recipe was first published in June 2011. Today, I have updated the pictures, and added more explanation in method of preparation.
Cuisine: Indian Category: Main Course, Curry, Dinner Difficulty: Easy
Yields: 4 of 1 Cup Servings Serves: 4
Notes:No. of servings depends on serving size. SEE PRINTABLE RECIPE
Ingredients
1 Cup Yellow Daal (Split Moong Daal, washed)
1 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste (Or grated 1 inch ginger and 2 garlic cloves)
1 Cup Tomatoes (ripe roma tomatoes, grated )
1/2 Cup Red Onion (grated red onion, very small chopped)
1/2 tsp Turmeric
3/4 tsp Chili Powder (mild, 1/2 tsp and 1/4 divided, adjust per taste)
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cumin Seeds (divided)
1/2 tsp Hot Green Pepper (small) (minced, optional)
1.5 tbsp Canola Oil
Directions
1.Wash lentils in running water until water runs clear. Then boil with 3 cups of fresh batch of water and 1/2 tsp salt until lentils are very tender or done to your preference. (15-20 minutes). Boil on low-medium heat as yellow lentils tend to boil-over very quickly.
Additional Notes:
To cook lentils in *Pressure Cooker, follow instruction in notes.
2.Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in pan, add half of cumin seeds (these should start sputtering), add onion and fry until light brown in color (4-5 minutes). Now, add ginger, garlic, green chilies. Fry for 2 minutes.
3.Now add grated tomatoes and fry until oil separates. Add turmeric and half teaspoon of red chili powder and fry for 30 seconds.
4.Mix daal/lentils in the fried mixture. Cook for 1-2 minute at low heat.
5.Turn off the heat. Remove lentils in a bowl. Whip the pan clean, heat up remaining oil. When oil is hot, add in cumin seeds and remaining chili powder. Fry for 20 seconds then pour over daal. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve hot. Enjoy!
Savita's Recipe Notes:
Pressure Cooker: If using pressure cooker, cook lentils with 2.5 cups of water and 1/2 tsp salt for 4-5 minutes. Or check instructions on your Pressure Cooker for lentil cooking time. Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid.
Make-Ahead: To save time prepare Yellow Daal Tadka on weekend and freeze it for upto 1 week. Re-heat and enjoy anytime.
Out of moong dal, chana dal, masoor dal and toovar dal, you can take any one dal or any combination of it in this recipe. However, make sure that their total quantity is 1 cup. Ghee is used for a nice flavor and this is what makes it so popular. However, you can also use butter or oil as its replacement.
This Yellow dal Tadka pairs very well with any kind of Indian breads, jeera or ghee rice and steamed rice. Some people prefer to have a basic dal rice or dal roti meal without anything else perhaps accompaniments like papad, pickle, and sliced onions.
What is the difference between dal fry and dal tadka? Dal fry is when you add cooked dal to the sautéed/ fried masala & simmered for a short time.Dal tadka is when you pour tadka (tempering) over cooked spiced dal & no further cooking is done.
Moong dal is a nutrient-rich food. It is enriched with minerals like potassium, magnesium, iron, and copper. In addition to this, it also contains folate, fibre, and vitamin B6. Rich in B-complex vitamins, this yellow dal helps break down carbohydrates into glucose and produce usable energy for your body.
But it is health. It's an excellent source of iron, magnesium, B vitamins, zinc and potassium. So it's good to include it as part of a healthy diet. And if you're looking to pack in more protein just throw in some chicken breast into the dal and it's power packed.
Masoor Dal (Red Lentils): Cooks quickly and has a slightly sweet and nutty flavor. Toor Dal (Split Pigeon Peas): Has a mild, nutty flavor and is commonly used in South Indian cuisine. Moong Dal (Split Yellow Lentils): Has a mild and slightly sweet flavor. It is often used in soups and stews.
Its protein rich ingredients with many health benefits. Lentils are versatile too and can be used in various ways. These are a great source of folate, potassium and fiber too. However, dal tadka is an Indian style recipe which has become very popular in the west as well.
The type of lentil used in this dal has many names, but it is most commonly known as toor dal. These lentils are known as split pigeon peas (yellow lentils) in English. This type of lentil is prevalent in Indian cooking, used in north and south India – but primarily south.
Tuvar dal – Generally dal tadka is made with tuvar dal or arhar dal also known as split pigeon pea lentils. In this 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.
Dal Tadka is a popular Indian dish where cooked spiced lentils are finished with a tempering made of ghee/ oil and spices. In Hindi, the word 'Dal' means 'lentils' and Tadka means 'tempering'. So Dal Tadka means lentils finished with a tempering, at the end.
Coconut Oil: In South Indian cuisine, coconut oil is often used for tadka, especially in dishes like sambar and coconut-based curries. It imparts a mild coconut flavor. Sesame Oil: Sesame oil, known as "til oil" in Hindi, is another option used for tadka in certain regional cuisines.
Dal Fry : Is when you add the boiled dal to the tadka of mustard, cumin, curry leaves, onion, tomato and other spices in kadai. It thicker in consistency (than dal tadka) and arhar dal (split pigeon peas) is most commonly used for making dal fry.
You can use tamarind pulp or cocum instead of tomatoes as a substitute in Indian cooking. This is to give the sourness to a dish. However if you want the colour of tomato, you can also add kashmiri chilli powder (mild hot).
Dal Tadka is a popular Indian dish where cooked spiced lentils are finished with a tempering made of ghee/ oil and spices. In Hindi, the word 'Dal' means 'lentils' and Tadka means 'tempering'. So Dal Tadka means lentils finished with a tempering, at the end.
Ultimately, which of the two is better depends wholly on your preference. In conclusion, apart from their color, yellow and red lentils differ in their taste and nutritional value. Yellow lentils have no taste and are rich in iron.On the other hand, red lentils are slightly sweet and ricer in sodium and potassium.
Furthermore, being a good source of iron, it can also help to increase the count of Red Blood Cells (RBCs). Even diabetes and high blood pressure patients can have yellow moong dal.
Butyrate, a kind of short-chain fatty acid, is important for the intestinal lining's health, and the yellow dal contributes to its production. Its anti-inflammatory effects prevent gas from building up in the body. This yellow dal is high in nutrients and very simple to digest.
Introduction: My name is Tish Haag, I am a excited, delightful, curious, beautiful, agreeable, enchanting, fancy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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