Dhaba Style Dal Tadka Restaurant Style Yellow Dal Fry Indian Style Lentins

Every household as a favourite dal and a special way of cooking it.Even within households, people cook Dal differently.My aunt usually only makes the brown Masoor with the Chilka and my mother prefers Moong.There is no right or wrong way to make a dal- you can make it in one shot in the pressure cooker-without bothering with an extra tadka or you could slow cook it like the black dal usually is for a creamy consistency.

The Method

The Dhaba Style Dal Tadka that I make has two types of tempering or tadka.The first one is with the usual suspects - Onions,Tomato,Ginger,Garlic and spices and the second tempering which creates the drama and visual appeal is with Ghee,Dry Chilli powder and Cumin. The trick is to get the Ghee to a smoking point and then add the ingredients in a quick succession.Just before you add the chilli powder, switch off the gas so it doesn’t burn but gets heated in the oil and leaves its characteristic aroma and colour. For this Dhaba Style Dal Tadka, the second tadka is usually poured over the dal just before serving, often when the dal is already in a small bowl along with all the other accompaniments.

Types of Dals used in India

As I said above, every household has a different favourite house dal and a different way of making it.For this Dhaba Style Dal Tadka I have used a mix of

Channa Dal- Also called Split chickpeas or Split Bengal Gram Toor Dal- Split Pigean Peas- Tuvar or Arhar Dal.

If you can’t find these specific dals where you live, you can substitute Masoor Dal for Toor Dal and in a pinch skip the Chana Dal.My reason for using these specific dals is that Toor dal becomes creamy when boiled and the Channa dal retains its shape to give more texture to the dish.

Can the Dal Fry be made Vegan

Most indian households are vegetarians with exception to few dollops of ghee here and there.To make this Dhaba Style Dal Tadka Vegan simply skip the ghee and use any oil of your choice.

Dhaba Style Dal Tadka without pressure cooker

If you don’t own a pressure cooker the dal should be cooked in a big pot with 5 cups of water instead.Bring everything to boil, cover and simmer for around 45-60 minutes to get the dal to a creamy consistency.