Indian cuisine · Soups & Stews

Dal Tadka

Creamy yellow lentils with a sizzling spiced butter finish – India's everyday comfort food.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 250 g yellow lentils
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 piece ginger (3 cm)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 dried chilies
• 3 tbsp ghee or clarified butter
• 1/2 bunch coriander
• Salt

Instructions

1. Wash the lentils and cook with the turmeric in 800 ml water for 25–30 min until soft, stirring occasionally.
2. Whisk the lentils lightly frothy with a whisk and season with salt – they should be creamy, not soupy.
3. Finely chop the onion, garlic and ginger; dice the tomatoes.
4. For the tadka, heat the ghee and let the cumin seeds, mustard seeds and chilies crackle.
5. Fry the onion in it until golden brown, then add garlic, ginger and tomatoes and simmer for 5 min.
6. Pour the hot tadka over the lentils – it should sizzle – and stir through once.
7. Serve sprinkled with coriander with rice or naan.