Ingredients
Method
- Pressure cook the dal with turmeric and water until soft (3 whistles), and whisk.
- Heat ghee, fry cumin, then onion until golden. Add ginger-garlic paste, chilli and tomato and cook until soft.
- Add the powdered spices, then the dal and salt. Simmer 8 to 10 minutes so the flavours mix (unlike dal tadka, the masala is cooked into the dal).
- Finish with coriander and lemon.
The spices that matter
The most common first spice in a tadka: crackle the seeds in hot oil or ghee before adding onions, dal or vegetables. Roasted and ground, it goes int…
No cumin? Caraway or shahi jeera are the closest whole-seed swaps. For ground cumin, use a little extra ground coriander with a pinch of chilli.
A pinch goes into almost every dal, sabzi and curry, usually with the onions or straight into the dal as it boils. Fresh turmeric root is pickled in …
No turmeric? There is no real substitute for flavour. For colour only, a tiny pinch of saffron or Kashmiri chilli changes the shade, but not the taste.
A pinch in hot oil is the base of dal tadka, sambar, kadhi and many Jain and Brahmin dishes that use no onion or garlic.
No asafoetida? A little garlic and onion powder together give a similar savoury effect.
Nice to have
Salt, oil or ghee, onions, ginger, garlic and fresh herbs are assumed. See how to make a tadka for the order to add whole spices.
Dishes with similar spices
Frequently asked questions
How long does moong dal take to make?
About 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
What spices are in moong dal?
The essentials are cumin, turmeric, asafoetida. Nice to have: dried red chillies.
Tips from travellers
Use Moong dal differently at home? Share your tip. The first good one goes right here.