Tarka Dhal is a veggie’s delight and made using red split lentils. Easy, healthy and high in protein – what more could you ask for? It’s made with minimal spices, yet is flavoursome and delicious and probably one of the cheapest meals you’ll create in no-time. This classic Indian vegetarian dish can be served as a side or a main meal with rice or naan.
What does Tarka mean?
Tarka is known as the frying of whole spices in ghee or oil, releasing flavours and aromas as it sizzles and pops, before stirring it into the dhal.
[lt_recipe name=”Red Lentil Dhal (Tarka Dhal) Recipe” servings=”3″ cook_time=”30M” total_time=”30M” difficulty=”Easy” summary=”Tarka Dhal is a simple and humble dish that you can make with minimal effort and cost. Packed with lots of flavour, the coriander, garlic and cumin seeds make it particularly tasty.” print=”yes” image=”https://www.spicella.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Tarka-Dhal-Recipe.jpg” ingredients=”150g Red Lentils;800ml Water (boiled);3/4 tsp Salt;3 Curry Leaves;1 tsp Cumin Seeds;2 cloves Garlic;6g Ginger (grated);1 Red Chilli (sliced or diced);1/4 tsp Turmeric;100ml Tomatoes (blended);2 tbs Oil or 1 tbs ghee” ]In a saucepan, add the red lentils, salt and hot water. Boil for 15 minutes on medium meat, with the lid off.;Once the dhal is cooked, in a small frying pan, heat take 2 tbs oil/ghee and fry the cumin seeds, curry leaves, garlic and chill on low-medium heat. Once lightly brown add it to the dhal (be-careful of splatters).;Stir in the fried ingredients and then add the ginger (grated), turmeric and tomatoes and let it cook on a low-medium heat for a further 10 minutes.;Garnish with chopped coriander.;[/lt_recipe]
Equipment Required
- Pan for boiling and cooking lentils.
- Small frying pan or small pot for sizzling the spices.
Useful Tips for making Tarka Dhal
- Soak the lentils in warm water for 30 minutes (if you have time) as it speeds up the cooking process.
- When preparing your ‘tarka’ (sizzle), keep the heat on low-medium, so not to burn the ingredients, the curry leaves and garlic are susceptible to cooking quicker than the other ingredients.
- Once your dhal is cooked, if you find it’s lumpy, add more boiling water to get it to the consistency you prefer.
Simple recipe to follow. I prefer eating Tarka dhal with jeera rice and salad on the side.
Tarka dal was really appetising with your Naan recipe
Nice easy recipe with just the right balance of flavour. I used ground red chilli as well as sliced ones as I love the heat!
Made the Tarka dhal with jeera rice and enjoyed your recipe Spicella .👍