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🇮🇳 Indian Vegetarian

Toor Dal Dhungar

🇮🇳 Indian

Toor Dal cooked down silky and finished with a proper tadka — humble, warming and impossible to stop at one serving. About 45 minutes from fridge to table.

Prep 15 min Cook 30 min Serves 4 Easy

Ingredients

  • Saltto taste
  • Onion1, finely chopped
  • Tomato1, chopped
  • Garlic3 cloves, sliced
  • Green Chili1, slit
  • Cumin Seeds1 tsp
  • Ghee2 tbsp
  • Turmeric Powder1/2 tsp
  • Yellow Lentils (Toor Dal)1 cup, rinsed

Optional extras

  • Fresh Cilantrohandful

Instructions

  1. 1

    Pressure-cook the dal with the turmeric and a little salt in 2.5 cups of water for 3-4 whistles, until completely soft.

  2. 2

    Whisk it smooth — a proper dal should pour like thick cream.

  3. 3

    For the tadka, heat ghee in a small pan and crackle the cumin, then fry the garlic and green chili to a pale gold.

  4. 4

    Add the onion and cook to golden, then the tomato until it collapses into the fat.

  5. 5

    Pour the tadka into the dal — listen for that satisfying hiss — and simmer for 8-10 minutes so the flavours marry.

  6. 6

    For the dhungar finish, place a live coal in a small bowl in the middle of the pot, drizzle over ghee, and cover for 3 minutes to trap the smoke.

  7. 7

    Adjust the salt and finish with cilantro and an extra spoon of ghee.

Chef's tip

Whisk the dal after cooking — it should be one smooth consistency, no separate grains.

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Video: The Best Comfort Food Ever? - Dal Tadka · on YouTube