Daal Tadka — Double Tadka for Redemption
Yes, yes, yes. I know I missed posting my blog last week. But it was Shivratri. I had gone to Bangalore at the Art of Living International Centre to enjoy the Shivratri trance, magic, and meditations.
I’d only slept for 2 hours in those two days. But the energy was so contagious that I never felt sleep-deprived.
And while I was there, I also recorded my podcast. It was my second episode as a host, and I am enjoying the podcast life. You can watch it here.
I missed my commitment to posting weekly blogs. But I’m going to compensate with this one — Double Daal Tadka.
And you know what’s the best part about this daal? It doesn’t have onion or garlic in it. So, sattvic eaters, Jain people, and people who have an aversion to onion and garlic can enjoy this daal!
Cooking tasty and consistent daal is a challenge!
It’s one of the simplest foods to exist with the most basic ingredients. Yet, only a few people get it right. My grandma made daal her entire life. But even with the same ingredients and cooking process, it’d taste different every day.
I mean, how is that possible? My dad never shied away from pointing it out every morning, haha!
Tiny details matter. And when the ingredients are so few, you cannot hide behind them. I learned that from Chef Ranveer and his daal recipe. And I’ve tried to replicate his magic of daal tadka.
But first, I’ve got a question. Did you try the last recipe — Penne in Creamy Spinach and Broccoli Sauce — that I posted?
You’ll need daal. And what else?
Let’s look at the ingredients. As usual, the quantities that I cook are tiny. So, the ingredients here are good enough for 2–3 people.
But I’ve always believed and experienced that instead of focussing on the exact quantities, understand the ratios of the ingredients and use your feelings to scale up or down.
Okay, so here’s the list.
- Toor daal — one or one and a half cup
- Chana daal — half cup, toor daal, and chana daal are in a ratio of 3:1. If you’re taking three parts of toor daal, take one part of chana daal.
- Ginger — one-inch knob
- Green chilies — 5 to 6, depending on how spicy you like your food
- Green coriander leaves and stems
- Cumin seeds — a pinch
- Dried red chili — 2, if available, use Baidagi red chili
- Asafoetida — a pinch
- Red chilli powder
- Turmeric powder
- Coriander powder
- Salt
- Ghee
- Oil
- Water
Let’s get the preparations out of the way
As I said before, with recipes with few ingredients, we keep things simple.
Daal
Wash the daal thoroughly till the water almost runs clear. You can soak it too, if you have time. If you’re in a hurry, wash it, drain it, and keep it aside.
Chopping
Ginger — finely chopped. Divide the one-inch ginger into two parts — one part for the first tadka and the other for the final tadka.
Green chilies, finely chopped. Again, divide it into two parts.
Coriander leaves, we’ll use to finish the daal.
Coriander stems, finely chop them.
And we’re done with the preparations.
It’s cooking time!
I’ve divided this process into two parts — the first tadka and the second tadka. We begin with the first tadka.
The first tadka
Fire up your stove and heat some ghee in a pressure cooker. Add some oil to it so that the ghee doesn’t burn. Once hot, jeera or cumin seeds go in. Let them splutter.
Once the cumin starts spluttering, add the chopped green chilies, ginger, and coriander stems to the ghee. Saute them for a while and go ahead with the washed daal.
The masalas go in now — red chili powder, turmeric powder, and coriander powder. Once you smell cooked turmeric and coriander, pour warm water into the cooker, season it with salt, close the lid, and wait for the cooker to whistle.
I added half a dried red chili and a few peas to the first tadka. But that is completely optional!
My cooker took 6–7 whistles to cook the daal fully. You know your pressure cooker the best. So, cook accordingly.
After your daal is cooked, open the cooker’s lid and let it cook for around 5–7 minutes. If you feel the daal is too thick, add some water. Check for salt levels.
With a laden, mash the daal gently. It’ll make the daal creamy and give it a nice, even consistency.
Now, the second tadka
The daal is fully cooked. It’s time to finish it with the second tadka. In a pan, heat some ghee. Once hot, add the dried red chili and asafoetida powder. And let it splutter.
After around 30 seconds, add the chopped ginger and green chilies to the tadka. Lastly, sprinkle a spoonful of red chili powder, the non-spicy one, for that deep red tadka color!
We’re done with the second tadka!
Finish the daal with chopped coriander leaves and enjoy it with jeera rice, parathas, or chapattis. The choice is yours!
Check out its Instagram reel here!
This daal is beloved.
So, two of my favorite people, Ishan Mama and Manisha Mami, were coming back from a social event a few weeks ago. I was also there at that event.
But we left early because we wanted to eat home-cooked food. They also wanted to have simple, home-cooked food. But they couldn’t leave early.
Out of nowhere, he called me and told me that they wanted to have dinner with me. He proposed a plan to eat outside. But I told him to come home. And I cooked this daal for him and Manisha Mami.
And they enjoyed it to the fullest. And I just loved that feeling!
So, this daal holds a special place for me because my special ones loved it sooooo much!
Next?
It’s been around 14 or 15 weeks since I started writing about food. I want to reflect on this phase. So, maybe the next blog will be on that.
Update — I’ve started making sun-dried tomatoes. It’s a big batch of 1 kg. So expect some sun-dried tomato recipes ;)
Till then, have fun in the kitchen. Try new things and enjoy!
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