This dal fry recipe, or dal tadka, as some may call it, makes for a simple and homestyle, yet comforting and hearty dal, that goes equally well with plain steamed rice, or even rotis and chapatis.
Out of all the simple and easy yellow dal recipes that I have shared on the blog so far (dalitoy, daali varan, goda varan), this one is easily my favorite.
It does take slightly more time to make than the others, that literally get ready in minutes. But I personally find the pay off of the additional 10 minutes for making the tadka, totally worth it.
Plus you can adapt this to your preferences, as it’s pretty versatile. I’ll show you how, as I walk you through my recipe for making this homestyle dal tadka.
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Ingredients You Need
Ingredient notes
- I used to make dal fry using only toor dal. But these days I use a mix of toor and yellow moong dal, as moong dal is a little lighter on the stomach. You can go with any yellow dal of your choice.
How to Make this Homestyle Dal Fry
I am using ¼ cup of toor dal and ¼ cup of yellow moong dal to make this dal fry. It is good enough for about 4 people.
- Start with properly washing and rinsing the dal, and straining away the excess water. And then pressure cook the dal with 3 times the water.
I usually use my Instant Pot to boil dal, in which for a total ½ cup of dal, I use 1½ cup water, and pressure cook on high for 12 minutes, and then let all the pressure release naturally from the pot.
Season & Cook the Dal
- In a pot, add the boiled dal, and 1 cup of water to thin out the dal a bit.
Here you can adjust the water in the dal based on your preference. I start with a relatively thinner consistency of dal, as it will thicken as it cooks, and I also add a good quantity of tadka. And I personally prefer a more flow-y dal. You can add lesser water, maybe just 1/2 a cup, if you prefer a thicker consistency of dal or add lesser amount of tadka.
Again, you’ll need lesser water for dal that is freshly boiled versus boiled dal that has been stored or refrigerated. So adjust consistency accordingly. - To it, add 1 teaspoon of salt & ¼ teaspoon of turmeric / haldi powder, and mix it in.
- Cook the dal on medium flame, till it comes to a proper boil. This might take 5-10 minutes.
Make the Tadka for Dal
- In a small pan, add 2 tablespoons of ghee, and lightly heat it up. You can use oil too. But ghee really elevates the flavor of the dal.
- To the ghee, add 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, and let it roast for about 30 seconds.
- Then add ½ teaspoon of mustard seeds, and lightly roast it for 30 seconds or so, till it starts to flutter, and then add 10 curry leaves, and lightly roast it for another 30 seconds.
Mustard seeds & curry leaves are kind of optional. It’s just that the South Indian in me wants them, and I love the flavor combination! - Now add in the chopped garlic (from 8 cloves), and lightly roast it for about a minute or so, till it starts to change color.
- Then add in 1 byadagi chilli (broken open in two), and 1 teaspoon hing / asafoetida powder, and lightly roast it for 30 seconds.
You can add regular dry red chillies too if you don’t have / find byadagi chillies. Or simply slit a green chilli and add it in the dal as it comes to a boil. - After which add in ½ cup of chopped onions, and saute till the onions turn translucent. It should take about 5 minutes or so.
- Finally add in ¼ cup of chopped tomatoes, and saute for a couple of minutes, till the tomatoes cook down a bit, and then turn off the flame.
Add the Tadka to the Dal
- At this point, the dal must have come to a proper boil. To it, now add ¼ cup of freshly chopped coriander leaves (or based on your preference) and the tadka that you prepared.
- Mix everything in, and the dal is ready to serve.
Note
I love a good quantity of tadka in my dal tadka. If you prefer lesser tadka in your dal, you can half the quantity of tadka mentioned in the recipe, for the same quantity of dal.
Making this Dal Fry in Instant Pot
You can easily adapt this dal fry recipe to make it in the Instant Pot in a few different ways.
Sharing a few of those alternatives below, as well as important things to keep in mind when you make this in the Instant Pot.
Dal Fry / Tadka in the Main Pot of Instant Pot
- You can add the uncooked dal directly in the main pot of the Instant Pot, along with the water, and pressure cook it for 10 minutes on high. When the dal has been boiled, use a whisk to blend the dal chunks to get a smooth dal.
- Now add salt & turmeric powder, along with some fresh water to thin out the dal a bit (if required), and turn on the saute mode to bring it to a light boil.
- Make the tadka like you normally would, and add it to the dal, along with some fresh coriander leaves.
Notes on this method
- This method is only best if you are making a big batch of dal tadka. And it’s efficient to pressure cook a bigger quantity of dal in the Instant Pot. Because otherwise you are not really saving time or utensils.
- That being said, an alternative is to first make the tadka in the main pot of the Instant Pot, then add the dal and water, and pressure cook it, and carry on with the other elements of this recipe. This will at-least save utensils by making it a one pot recipe. And is a reasonably good alternative, if you don’t want/prefer a fresh tadka added at the end.
Dal Fry / Tadka using the Pot in Pot Method
Like I mentioned above, I personally don’t feel the need to use the Instant Pot for a small quantity of dal tadka, as it doesn’t really save time or utensils. Especially since I have the bigger 6 & 8 quart Instant Pot.
But if you are planning on making both dal and rice, then it makes sense to cook them both in the Instant Pot at the same time, using the pot in pot method.
I have explained it in detail here in this post on how to cook both dal and rice at the same time in the Instant Pot, but here is a gist –
- Pressure cook both the dal and the rice at the same time, by putting the dal in the main pot of the Instant Pot, and the rice in a container placed on a raised trivet in the main pot.
- When done, remove the rice, and continue with flavoring the dal and adding the tadka etc. Or like I shared earlier, make it a truly one pot dish, by making the tadka in the main pot of the Instant Pot, then adding the dal to it, and pressure cooking the dal & rice.
Serving Suggestion
This homestyle dal fry pairs very well with rotis as well as just plain steamed rice.
More simple & easy dal recipes..
⭐️ Dalitoy (konkani style dal)
⭐️ Daali Varan (simple toor dal recipe)
⭐️ Goda Varan (basic ghee dal)
As always, I hope you found this recipe useful. If you did, please let me know your rating ⭐️ and feedback 📲 in the comments below, or simply rate the recipe right on the recipe card. I’d really appreciate it. ❤️
📖 RECIPE
Dal Fry Recipe (Dal Tadka)
Ingredients
For making the dal
- ¼ cup toor dal (split yellow pigeon peas)
- ¼ cup yellow moong dal (split and skinned green gram)
- water *to pressure cook & boil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
- ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves
For making the tadka
- 2 tablespoon ghee
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- ½ teaspoon black mustard seeds (rai)
- 10 curry leaves (cadipatta)
- 8 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 byadagi chilli
- 1 teaspoon asafoetida powder (hing)
- ½ cup chopped onions
- ¼ cup chopped tomatoes
Instructions
Pressure Cook Dal
- Take ¼ cup of toor dal and ¼ cup of yellow moong dal, and properly wash and rinse it, and strain away the excess water.
- Pressure cook it with 3 times the water. I usually use my Instant Pot to boil dal, in which for a total ½ cup of dal, I use 1½ cup water, and pressure cook on high for 12 minutes, and then let all the pressure release naturally from the pot.
Season & Cook the Dal
- In a pot, add the boiled dal, and 1 cup of water* (see note #3) to thin out the dal a bit.
- To it, add 1 teaspoon of salt & ¼ teaspoon of turmeric / haldi powder, and mix it in.
- Cook the dal on medium flame, till it comes to a proper boil. This might take 5-10 minutes.
Make the Tadka (Tempering)
- In a small pan, add 2 tablespoons of ghee, and lightly heat it up.
- To the ghee, add 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, and let it roast for about 30 seconds, before adding ½ teaspoon of mustard seeds, and lightly roast it for another 30 seconds or so, till it starts to flutter. Then add 10 curry leaves, and lightly roast it for 30 seconds.
- Now add in the chopped garlic (from 8 cloves), and lightly roast it for about a minute or so, till it starts to change color.
- Then add in 1 byadagi chilli (broken open in two), and 1 teaspoon hing / asafoetida powder, and lightly roast it for 30 seconds.
- After which add in ½ cup of chopped onions, and saute till the onions turn translucent. It should take about 5 minutes or so.
- Finally add in ¼ cup of chopped tomatoes, and saute for a couple of minutes, till the tomatoes cook down a bit, and then turn off the flame.
Add Tadka to the Dal
- Add the tadka to the dal, which must have come to a proper boil now, and mix it in.
- Finally, add ¼ cup of freshly chopped coriander leaves, and mix it in.
- Dal Tadka is ready to serve with either steamed rice or roti / chapati.
Notes
- I used to make dal tadka using only toor dal. But these days I use a mix of toor and yellow moong dal, as moong dal is a little lighter on the stomach. You can go with any yellow dal of your choice.
- I love a good quantity of tadka in my dal tadka. If you prefer lesser tadka in your dal, you can half the quantity of tadka mentioned in the recipe, for the same quantity of dal.
- Adjust water in the dal based on your preference. I start with a relatively thinner consistency of dal, as it will thicken as it cooks, and I also add a good quantity of tadka. And I personally prefer a more flow-y dal. You can add lesser water if you prefer a thicker consistency of dal or add lesser amount of tadka.
Instant Pot Dal Tadka
- Making Dal Tadka in Main Pot
- You can add the uncooked dal directly in the main pot of the Instant Pot, along with the water, and pressure cook it for 10 minutes on high. When the dal has been boiled, use a whisk to blend the dal chunks to get a smooth dal.
- Now add salt & turmeric powder, along with some fresh water to thin out the dal a bit (if required), and turn on the saute mode to bring it to a light boil.
- Make the tadka like you normally would, and add it to the dal, along with some fresh coriander leaves. Notes on this method
- This method is only best if you are making a big batch of dal tadka. And it’s efficient to pressure cook a bigger quantity of dal in the Instant Pot. Because otherwise you are not really saving time or utensils.
- That being said, an alternative is to first make the tadka in the main pot of the Instant Pot, then add the dal and water, and pressure cook it, and carry on with the other elements of this recipe. This will at-least save utensils by making it a one pot recipe. And is a reasonably good alternative, if you don’t want/prefer a fresh tadka added at the end.
- Using Pot in Pot Method If you are planning on making both dal and rice, then it makes sense to cook them both in the Instant Pot at the same time, using the pot in pot method. I have explained it in detail here in this post on how to cook both dal and rice at the same time in the Instant Pot, but here is a gist –
- Pressure cook both the dal and the rice at the same time, by putting the dal in the main pot of the Instant Pot, and the rice in a container placed on a raised trivet in the main pot.
- When done, remove the rice, and continue with flavoring the dal and adding the tadka etc. Or like I shared earlier, make it a truly one pot dish, by making the tadka in the main pot of the Instant Pot, then adding the dal to it, and pressure cooking the dal & rice.
Nutrition
Video Recipe
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