Restaurant Style Punjabi Yellow Dal Tadka

Make this delicious Restaurant-Style Yellow Dal Tadka at home in under 30 minutes using simple ingredients. This popular Indian recipe can be made in an instant pot or a traditional stovetop pressure cooker (vegetarian, can be easily made vegan and gluten-free).

Jump to:

• About Dal Tadka
• Ingredients
• How To Make Yellow Dal Tadka
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Variations
• Serving Suggestions
• Storage Suggestions
• You Might Also Like
• Recipe Card

About Dal Tadka

Punjabi Dal Tadka is a delicious Indian lentil curry made using arhar dal (toor dal, yellow pigeon peas lentils) and yellow moong dal (skinned petite yellow lentils).

It is one of the most popular dishes to order at Indian restaurants or Dhaba (Indian roadside eateries).

Dal = lentils and tadka = tempering. Dal tadka translates to lentils with tempering. The lentils are cooked and then tempered with a spicy ghee tempering (tadka) of cumin seeds, asafetida (hing), dry red chilies, fresh ginger, garlic, onions, tomatoes, and red chili powder.

I am sharing a restaurant-style Punjabi yellow dal tadka recipe in this post.

This lentil curry is easy to make, uses basic ingredients, and comes together in under 30 minutes. It tastes just like the one served at your favorite Indian restaurant.

You can cook the lentils in an instant pot or a traditional stovetop pressure cooker.

Another great thing about this recipe is that it is very customizable. By making a few minor changes, you can easily make it vegan and gluten-free.

You must have tasted a unique smoky flavor when this dal is served at a restaurant; that taste is easy to replicate at home. I have shared the secret in the recipe below, so read along.

This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled. I made it in my 6-quart instant pot (or a 3-liter stovetop cooker). If you want to scale it, use an 8-quart instant pot (or a 5-liter pressure cooker). The time of cooking the dal will remain the same.

Here are some more dal recipes

• Green Moong Dal
• Yellow Moong Dal
• Dal Makhani
• Cholar Dal
• Bengali Masoor Dal
• Sultani Dal
• Dal Palak
• Raw Mango Dal
• Homestyle Toor Dal
• Lauki Chana Dal

Ingredients

All the ingredients to make Punjabi tadka dal are available easily in any Indian grocery store or online.

To Cook The Dal

Dal – You will need arhar dal (yellow pigeon peas) and yellow moong dal (skinned petite yellow lentil) to make this simple yet delicious lentil recipe. Some people use pink masoor dal (pink lentil) instead of arhar dal; you can try that version too.

Note – You can use either toor dal or pink masoor dal, but adding a little moong dal is important to make dal tadka creamy.

Oil – Use any cooking oil to make the masala. Some options include canola oil, sunflower oil, light olive oil, etc.

Others – You will also need onions, fresh ginger, garlic, green chillies, fresh tomatoes, coriander powder, turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, salt, freshly squeezed lime juice, and cilantro (fresh coriander leaves).

I used Indian green chilies, but you can use jalapeno peppers, Serrano chiles, or Thai green chilies.

Lime juice can be replaced with lemon juice.

You can also add a teaspoon of crushed kasuri methi at the end of cooking.

For The Tempering

To temper the yellow dal tadka recipe, you will need ghee, asafetida (hing), cumin seeds, dry red chillies, garlic, and Kashmiri red chilli powder.

To Smoke The Lentils (Optional)

If you like the restaurant or Dhaba-style smoky flavor in your dal, you will need a coal piece, a whole cinnamon stick, and a teaspoon of ghee.

How To Make Yellow Dal Tadka

Cook The Dal

In An Instant Pot

Wash ½ cup arhar dal and ¼ cup moong dal with water 2 to 3 times until the water runs clear.

Soak the lentils in 2-3 cups of water and keep them aside.

Press SAUTE button on the instant pot.

Once it says hot, add 2 tablespoon vegetable oil to the inner pot.

Once the oil is hot and shimmery, add ½ cup of chopped onions and cook until they turn light brown (8-10 minutes), stirring frequently.

Add 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger and 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

Add 1 teaspoon chopped green chilies and ½ cup chopped tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir frequently while cooking.

Now add

• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder

and cook for a minute.

Drain the water from the lentils, add them to the pot with 3 cups of water and 1 teaspoon salt, and stir well.

Close the pot’s lid and set the valve to the sealing position.

Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 10 minutes on high pressure. The instant pot will take some time to build pressure and start the timer.

Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Then release the remaining pressure manually by moving the valve to the venting position. Use a cloth or a spoon to move the valve to avoid steam burn.

Open the lid of the pot.

Add 1 tablespoon lime juice to the pot and mix the cooked dal well using a wire whisk or a madani until it is smooth and creamy.

Add some more water if the dal is too thick for your liking, and bring it to a boil by pressing the SAUTE button.

Check for salt and add more if needed. Set the cooked dal aside.

In A Traditional Pressure Cooker

Wash ½ cup arhar dal and ¼ cup moong dal with water 2 to 3 times until the water runs clear.

Soak the lentils in 2-3 cups of water and keep them aside.

Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a pressure cooker over medium-high heat.

Once the oil is hot and shimmery, add ½ cup of chopped onions and cook until they turn light brown (8-10 minutes), stirring frequently.

Add 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger and 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

Add 1 teaspoon chopped green chilies and ½ cup chopped tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir frequently while cooking.

Now add

• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder

and cook for a minute.

Drain the water from the lentils, add them to the pot with 3 cups of water and 1 teaspoon salt, and stir well.

Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook for one whistle on high heat. Then reduce the heat to low and cook for 10-12 minutes.

Remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally.

Open the lid of the cooker.

Add 1 tablespoon lime juice to the pot and mix the cooked dal well using a wire whisk or a madani until it is smooth and creamy. Add some more water if the dal is thick for your liking, and bring it to a boil.

Check for salt and add more if needed. Set the cooked dal aside.

Note – You can cook the lentils over the stovetop in a pot. This method takes a lot of time and is not recommended. But if you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can cook them this way. You will have to add more water and cook for a longer time.

Temper The Dal Tadka

Once the lentils are cooked, let’s give them a tempering.

Heat 2 tablespoon ghee in a small thin thin-bottomed pan over medium-high heat.

Once the ghee is hot, add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and ¼ teaspoon asafetida (hing) and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.

Add 2-3 whole dry red chilies and 2 tablespoon minced garlic and fry until it turns golden brown. Stir frequently.

Switch off the heat and add 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder to the pan.

Pour the tempering immediately over the cooked lentils and mix well.

Garnish with 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro and serve hot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Variations

Different lentil combinations – Punjabi dal tadka is usually made using the combination of moong dal and arhar dal. Some people also use moong dal and masoor dal to make it.

With Chana Dal – You can also use chana dal, moong dal, or masoor dal to make dal tadka. Other ingredients and processes will remain the same.

With Eggs – A popular variation of this recipe is egg dal tadka which is available in many roadside Dhabas. To make it, cook the dal as mentioned in the recipe. Now start to make the tempering. Once you have added all the tempering ingredients, break an egg into the pan and scramble it. Now pour this tempering with egg into the cooked dal. Your egg dal tadka is ready.

Serving Suggestions

The best part about Punjabi-style dal tadka is that it’s a very versatile recipe, and it goes with pretty much anything; it can be served with Jeera Rice, Plain Basmati Rice, Brown Rice, or Roti.

It tastes delicious with other flatbreads such as Tawa Paratha, Laccha Paratha, Naan, Khamiri Roti, Tandoori Roti, or Garlic Naan.

It’s also a popular dal made for get-togethers or festive meals, and there’s nothing like a good dal curry to devour a bowl of steamed rice.

Storage Suggestions

Dal tadka will easily last in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Just store it in an air-tight container.

To reheat, use a pan or microwave and heat it until nice and warm. Add a little water and adjust the consistency if it has become thick after refrigerating.

Before serving it again, give it a fresh ghee tadka of cumin seeds, garlic, asafetida, and a little Kashmiri red chili powder. A fresh tadka will make tadka daal as good as new.

If you want to store the dal tadka for a longer period, you can freeze it. Store the cooled dal in a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag. Label the container with the date and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw the dal overnight in the refrigerator and reheat it in a pan or microwave before serving.

If you are freezing the dal tadka, consider storing it in small portions, so you can thaw and reheat only the amount you need.

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