Recipe

• 3 cup cooked dal,  check how to cook dal in a pressure cooker. 
• 1 tsp Mustard seeds  
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds  
• ½ tsp turmeric. 
• 1 tsp Red chili powder  
• 1 small chopped onions  
• 1 small chopped tomatoes  
• fresh garlic minced.  
• curry leafes (optional) 
• 2-3 large dried red chilies 
• coriander to garnish 

As I had said before, the best vessel to perform a tadka is a round-bottomed one as It keeps the oil and spices together.  

The last time I used a handi, this time I will make use of a Kadhai.  

Making the dal ready before adding tadka (Live tempering)

• So in the kadai, add oil and let it heat. Keep it on medium heat. 
• As the oil heats , add the cumin seeds & mustard seeds and hear them sizzle,  
• add the curry leaves and within a couple of seconds, let’s add the chopped onions and give it a stir.    
• This will make sure that none of the ingredients burn. 
• Now add the chopped tomatoes and let the onions and tomatoes cook. 
• Once the onions and tomatoes are cooked enough, add the cooked dal. If required you can add ½ tsp of turmeric powder.  
• Generally, turmeric powder is added in the dal when its cooked. So if you think you have enough yellow colour to the dal you can skip this step. 
• Now add some water to maintain the required consistency and add salt to taste. 
• Now let it boil.  

Method 1

1. Once it starts to simmer, on another gas let’s keep the tadka vessle, and add 2 tbsp oil.  
2. Keep the gas on low to medium heat.  
3. As the oil heats, add garlic and take the full chilies, break them in half and add it in the oil.  
4. And add 1 tsp of red chili powder.  
5. Make sure all the ingredients sizzle like so, 
6. As they sizzle within 3-5 seconds, pick it up and pour this hot oil in the dal which is cooking here.

Method 2

As promised, there is another way of doing this without the tadka vessel so let’s go back a bit to simmering the dal…

1. as the dal simmers, on another gas, let’s take a round bottom vessel like this handi 
2. add oil and let it heat 
3. as it heats add the minced garlic 
4. break the full chilies in half and add it to the oil 
5. and then 1 tsp of red chili powder.
6. let it sizzle for 3-5 seconds. So that they don’t burn the ingredients.  
7. switch off the gas, and now let’s pour all dal which is boiling now in this and quickly cover this handi.
8. that’s it, do not disturb this , the dal and the hot flavored oil will mix well on its own.

Wow…. stir and let is boil for forther 2 mins and take it off the gas