Mixed Tadka Dal

dishesandflavorsupdated on June 11, 2020June 9, 2020

5/5 - (5 votes)

There are many versions of this North Indian recipe, as the name literally means spiced, flavored lentils. To make it more healthy I have used a combination of five gems – tur dal, chana dal, moong dal, masoor dal, and urad dal makes this delicious and traditional Dal Tadka. This is quite similar to Dal-Panchmel.

I grew up eating this delicious dal fry with rice and ghee. The dal is flavored with onion, tomato, ginger-garlic and a spice blend made by using black cardamom, clove and pepper. This is very easy to make just mix all the dal together and pressure cook it, then add to the onion-tomato masala.

You can also serve Mixed Tadka Dal with tandoori rotis, parathas or even with plain rice.

Do try other Dal recipes :

Preparation Time: 25mins ∏ Cooking Time: 20mins ∏ Servings: 3-4 person

Level: Beginners (Easy) ∏ Measurement: 1 Cup ≡ 250 ml ≡ 250gm

Ingredients Checklist:

How to make Mixed Tadka Dal:

Step1: In a bowl add together urad dal, toor dal, moong dal, masoor dal, and chana dal and add water and wash it properly. Wash it 2-3 times and strain the water and then soak it for about 20 minutes in hot water. If you want you can also soak the lentils in water for an hour.

Step2: Add the dals into the pressure cooker, along with 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder and salt. Also, add 2 cups of water. Cover and cook It for 2-3 whistles.

Step3: When the pressure settles down on its own, open the lid and check the dals. The lentils should be cooked very well and softened. Churn the dal a bit and add more water if required, mix properly.

Step4: In a pan add ghee and a little bit of oil. Add hing, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and let them sizzle.

Step5: Add dried red chili, curry leaves, finely chopped ginger and garlic. (Reserve some garlic for final tadka). Saute everything on low-medium flame for 1-2 minutes till the garlic turns crispy.

Step6: Now add finely chopped onion, stir often and saute till the onions turn light golden for about 3-4 minutes on medium flame.

Step7: In the meanwhile, take a mortar pestle and add black cardamom, clove and black peppercorn and make a coarse powder. Discard the outer husk of black cardamom.

Step8: Once the onion turns golden brown, reduce the flame to low and add 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, green chilis, and salt as per taste (Do remember salt is also added in the boiled dal.)

Step9: Add crushed garam masala (black cardamom, black peppercorn and cloves). Mix the spice powders with the rest of the ginger-garlic-onion masala.

Step10: Now add the cooked dal and mix them well. Add a little more water if required and bring it to the desired consistency.

Step11: Increase the flame to low-medium. Add chopped tomatoes and bring dal to a boil and simmer till the dal thickens a bit, at least for 5-6 minutes. Adjust salt to taste.

Step12: In the meanwhile heat a tadka pan on medium flame. Pour 1 tablespoon ghee, once the ghee is hot add chopped garlic and green chilly, saute it for 2-3 minutes until the garlic turns crispy. Turn off the flame and add 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder. Tadka is ready.

Step13: Turn off the flame and pour the tempered mixture (tadka) overtop and few drops of lemon juice. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Mixed Tadka Dal is ready. Serve it with rice or roti.

Tips:

You can choose any dal as per your taste and availability.
You can also make mixed dal tadka using a mix of 2-3 lentils.
The consistency of this dal should be on the thicker side. Also keep in mind that dal turns to thick after cooling down, so adjust water accordingly.
You can also add tomatoes right after adding spices into the onion and saute, then add cooked dal. I like little chunks of tomato in the dal that’s the reason, I have added it later on.

1 Comment

How to make North Indian | North Indian recipes | Step-by-Step North Indian recipe says:

December 26, 2020 at 7:15 pm

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[…] Mixed Tadka Dal – There are many versions of this North Indian recipe, as the name literally means spiced, flavored lentils. To make it more healthy… […]

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