Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Indian · Punjabi

Dal tadka with red lentils

Vegetarian

दाल तड़का · dal tadka

Soft red lentils cooked with turmeric and tomato, finished with a sizzling tempering of ghee, cumin, garlic and dried chilli poured over just before serving.

Dal tadka with red lentils is an Indian curry, ready in about 40 minutes and made with red lentils and ghee. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Delicious Indian dal tadka garnished with herbs in a traditional bowl on a vibrant tablecloth.
Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
10 min
Cook
30 min
Total
40 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
268

Ingredients

4 servings

For the dal

For the tadka

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Put the lentils, water, turmeric (opens in a new tab) and tomato (opens in a new tab) in a saucepan (opens in a new tab). Bring to the boil, skim off any foam, then simmer partly covered, stirring now and then, until the lentils have broken down completely.

    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Whisk the dal to a smooth, pourable consistency, adding hot water if it is too thick. Season with the salt and keep warm.

    • 1 min
    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    For the tadka, heat the ghee (opens in a new tab) in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the cumin (opens in a new tab), asafoetida (opens in a new tab) and dried chillies and let them sizzle for a few seconds, then add the onion (opens in a new tab) and fry until golden.

  4. Step 4

    Add the garlic (opens in a new tab) and fry until just golden, then take off the heat and stir in the chilli powder and garam masala (opens in a new tab).

    • 1 min
    • medium heat

    Take the pan off the heat before adding ground spices so they don't burn.

  5. Step 5

    Pour the sizzling tadka over the dal, scatter with coriander and serve immediately.

    About this dish

    Origin
    India · Commonly attributedTempered lentils are eaten throughout South Asia; this quick version uses red lentils instead of the more common toor dal.Also popular in Pakistan, Nepal, BangladeshMore food from India
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Curries · Main courses
    Cooking method
    Boiled, Simmered, Pan-fried
    Taste
    savoury, earthy, garlicky, spicy (chilli heat)
    Diet
    Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
    All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat
    Without the optional extras: No gluten ingredientsWith the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Everyday · Budget-friendly · Freezer-friendly · Meal-prep friendly
    Cook more with
    Red lentils · Ghee · Turmeric · Tomato · Cumin · Dried whole chillies
    Techniques
    Pan-frying · Boiling · Simmering · Tadka (tempering) · Stock making

    Allergens

    • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom ghee
    • May contain: Wheatfrom asafoetida
    • May contain: Glutenfrom asafoetida

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    268 kcal per serving

    Estimated

    1 serving ≈ 348 g · recipe makes 4

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 19%
    • Carbohydrate 55%
    • Fat 27%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy268 kcal77 kcal
    Protein13.1 g3.8 g
    Carbohydrate37.9 g10.9 g
    Net carbohydrate31 g8.9 g
    Sugars——
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre6.9 g2 g
    Fat8.2 g2.4 g
    Saturated fat4.4 g1.3 g
    Trans fat0 g0 g
    Cholesterol17 mg5 mg
    Sodium741 mg213 mg
    Salt equivalent1.9 g0.5 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    511 mg
    Calcium
    72 mg
    Iron
    4.7 mg
    Magnesium
    46 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    86 µg
    Vitamin C
    8 mg
    Vitamin D
    0 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    113 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: asafoetida, coriander leaves.
    • Garam masala: Curry powder (FDC 170924) used as a stand-in; both are ground blends of similar dried spices used in teaspoon amounts.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Dal thickens a lot as it cools; loosen it with hot water before serving.

    Common mistakes

    • Burning the garlic in the tadka — it turns bitter in seconds.

    Serve with

    • Serve with steamed basmati rice (dal chawal) or roti and a pickle.

    Storage

    • Keeps 4 days refrigerated or 3 months frozen (without the tadka is best).

    Reheating

    • Reheat with water to loosen; make a fresh tadka if you like.

    Variations

    • Toor dal tadka: Use split pigeon peas (toor/arhar dal), which need longer cooking or a pressure cooker.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    Spices bloomed in hot fat

    For the tadka

    Make Punjabi garam masalaUsed in steps 3, 4

    Masalas in this recipe

    Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

    You might also like