Red lentil dal tadka with basmati rice
North Indian dal: red lentils softened over a base of golden onion, ginger, garlic and slowly cooked tomato with turmeric and coriander, finished with garam masala and brought to life by tadka, hot oil with sizzling cumin seeds, chilli and garlic. Served with separate-grained basmati rice.
Method
- Chop the onion, peel and grate the ginger, grate 10 g garlic and finely slice the remaining 10 g (reserve for the tadka), and dice the tomato. Rinse the lentils in a fine sieve; rinse the rice until the water runs clear and leave to soak in cold water while the base cooks. Heat 20 g oil in the 20 cm saucepan over a medium heat; fry the onion for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden at the edges. Add the grated ginger and garlic for 1 minute, then the turmeric, ground coriander and ground cumin for 30 seconds, stirring: the spices should become fragrant without browning.
- Add the diced tomato and 1 g salt; cook over a medium heat for 6–8 minutes, crushing with a spoon, until the tomato breaks down into a pulp and oil beads around the edge of the pan. Add the drained lentils, 650 g water and 2 g salt. Bring to a simmer, then cook over a low heat with the lid ajar for 15–18 minutes, stirring two or three times to stop the lentils sticking.
- Meanwhile, drain the soaked rice and put in the second saucepan with 210 g water and 2 g salt. Bring to the boil, cover, reduce to the lowest heat and cook for 10 minutes; rest off the heat, covered, for 10 minutes. Do not lift the lid during cooking or resting.
- When the lentils crush without resistance, stir vigorously with a spoon to make a thick, creamy mixture; if the dal has thickened too much, add 30–60 g hot water. Off the heat, add the garam masala and 4 g salt, stir and taste: the dal should taste distinctly of lentils and spices, not cooking water; adjust the salt if needed.
- Make the tadka at the last moment: heat the remaining 25 g oil in the small frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds: they sizzle and darken in 20 seconds. Add the chilli flakes and sliced garlic and stir for 30–45 seconds, until the garlic is light golden, not brown. Immediately pour over the dal, which should sizzle.
- Add the lemon juice and chopped coriander and stir just once so the ribbon of spiced oil remains visible on top. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve the dal in deep plates with the rice alongside.
Lighter version
- Basmati rice : 100 g
- Sunflower oil, for frying or as a neutral oil : 30 g
- Water : 800 g
Step 1: use 10 g oil for the base. Step 3: use 100 g rice (50 g per person) and 150 g water. Step 5: use 20 g oil for the tadka.
The same dal with less rice and a third less oil: the tadka keeps its essential character.
On your plate
Recipe
776 kcal · protein 31 g · carbs 101 g · fat 26 g
Quantities per person
- 80 g Red lentils
- 70 g Basmati rice
- 50 g Yellow onions
- 100 g Tomatoes, vine or round
- 10 g Garlic
- 7.5 g Fresh ginger
- 22.5 g Sunflower oil, for frying or as a neutral oil
- 1.5 g Turmeric
- 1.5 g Ground coriander
- 1 g Ground cumin
- 1 g Garam masala
- 1.5 g Cumin seeds
- 1 g Chilli flakes (peperoncino)
- 430 g Water
- 4.5 g Fine salt
- 30 g Lemon
- 5 g Fresh coriander
Cooking tips
Dal thickens as it cools: loosen it with a little hot water when reheating; it tastes even better the next day. Make a small fresh tadka then (10 g oil, a pinch of cumin seeds and half a garlic clove) to revive it. Always make the tadka at the last moment, with the frying pan hot and the dal ready and piping hot in its pan. For a mild dal, use 1 g chilli flakes. Rice and lentils are the two parts of the meal; no extra bread is needed.
Masoor dal tadka, home cooking from Punjab and northern India: a slowly cooked onion and tomato base, garam masala to finish, and cumin, chilli and garlic tempered in oil.
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