Yellow Dal / Dal Tadka Recipe

I had used the pictures of this recipe for one of my photography series posts - angles in food photography. Like I mentioned in that post, sometimes the simplest of dishes can make a great meal, like we enjoyed that weekend. I just wanted to jot down the recipe here for those of you looking for a comforting bowl of yellow dal for your dal chawal. 

What I Used:

Toor dal - 1 cup

(you can also use masoor dal / red lentils)

Tomato - 1, cubed

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Asafoetida / hing - a pinch

Amchoor / dry mango powder - 1/2 tsp 

(if you want it tangy)

Sugar - a pinch (optional)

Salt - to taste

For Tempering:

Onion - 1/4 cup, chopped fine

Garlic - 3 pods crushed (optional)

Jeera / cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Dry red chillies - 3 to 4, halved

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

For Garnishing:

Chopped fresh coriander leaves (optional)

How I Made It:

1. Pressure cook the dal, tomatoes and turmeric powder with 3 cups water. I cook it usually for 4 whistles since it takes longer to cook dal in Singapore. 3 whistles should usually be enough. If you don't have a pressure cooker, cook in a closed, thick-bottomed pan for about 20-30 mins until the dal is cooked soft. 

2. Heat oil in a pan and add the ingredients for tempering. Once the mustard seeds start to pop and the onions turn transparent, add the cooked dal. 

3. Next, add salt, hing, sugar and amchoor and mix well. If the dal is too thick, add some water. If too watery, let it remain on fire for longer until the desired consistency is reached. 

4. Garnish wtih coriander leaves and serve with steamed white rice, papad and pickles. YUM!

NOTE

You will see that a lot of ingredients I add are optional. This is because the basic yellow dal recipe is plain and simple with minimum flavours. Customize according to your taste and use just the bare minimum ingredients. It tastes great any which way.