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.
Ingredients You Need
Ingredient notes
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
Notes on this method
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 –
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
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