A delicious restaurant style dal tadka is a dish which everyone loves! Full of taste and deliciousness, this is a must-have recipe!
Restaurant style Dal tadka is my guilty pleasure. Even if I am ordering four more things in an North Indian restaurant, I always end up ordering one of it along.
But these days, we rarely go out to have a North Indian meal for more reasons, than one. Firstly, there are hardly any brilliant ones in Bangalore and secondly, there is so much variety when we go out to eat that the whole concept of going out and eating dal feels like a criminal waste of time, money and errr calories 🙂
But then what does one do of the dal tadka cravings? I have been trying to replicate the same restaurant style dal tadka at home since a long time. Various recipes, adding garlic, skipping it, frying the onions and tomatoes before adding them to the boiling dal. But every time I would feel that there is something missing in this dal. So much so that N actually started saying that there was something crazy in my brains 🙂
But then a while ago, Tata Sampann sent me a sample of masalas to try. The new masalas by Tata have been developed by Chef Sanjeev Kapoor with spices sourced from the best of the farms, because Tata believes that the best of the spices make the best of the masalas. The whole spices like Salem Turmeric, Malabari Black Pepper, Pahadi Cardamom which go into making of the masala blends are also pre sterilized making the masalas very safe.
When I got the basket of masalas and saw the dal tadka masala, the instant thought in my mind was brilliant – let’s put this to test. I made the dal tadka the usual way I make it. Boil dal with salt and turmeric. Sauté garlic, onions and tomatoes and add to the dal. Garnish with coriander and serve with roti’s or rice. This time around I added a spoonful of dal tadka masala to it and bingo I had found my dal tadka. The whole family loved it as well. My mother in law who is also a fan of the Restaurant Style Dal Tadka was very happy on the lunch table that day.
Another thing I really liked about the blended masalas of Tata is the fact that they come in smaller pouches, one box has 5 pouches and one pouch will last you 1-2 times depending on how spicy you like your food or for how many people you are cooking. Because more often than not, the problem I face with these special masalas, is that once you open the big box, it becomes stale by the time you use the masala 2-3 times and doesn’t smell or taste as good anymore.
The masalas are also made from “Un-Spent” spices, i.e. the spices from the oil has not been extracted and hence they are more flavourful and retain their freshness for longer. The spices we normally get off the shelf are the ones from which all the oil has been extracted and hence the aroma of the spices is not as fresh as it should be. The un-spent spices make sure you get the best spices in that packet.
I loved the one I tried and I am sure I am going to try some more soon. Even their chilli powder tastes better than most off the shelf chilli powders in the market. Go pick a Tata Sampann spice next time you are buying some, if nothing for the brilliant Restaurant Style Dal Tadka.
Some other dal recipes on the blog
Restaurant Style Dal Tadka
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup toor dal
- 1/2 cup masoor dal
- 3 garlic gloves , minced
- 1 onion large , sliced
- 2 tomatoes large , chopped
- 1 tsp turmeric Tata Sampann powder
- 2 tsps Dal Masala Tata Sampann Tadka
- 2 tsps ghee
- 1/4 tsp heeng
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- to taste salt
- coriander leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Pressure cook both the dals along with some salt and turmeric till done. A lot of people complain that dal leaves a lot of water while boiling in a cooker. For me what works to solve this is - pre soaking the dal and adding 1/4 tsp of oil at the time of boiling. Once the dal is boiled, set aside for cooling.
- In a kadhai, heat ghee and add heeng to it. Once it is fragrant and slightly browned, add jeera seeds and fry till golden brown.
- Add the onions and saute till the onions are golden brown. Add the tomatoes and saute till they are soft and well roasted.
- Add the Tata Sampann Dal Tadka masala, boiled dal and if required some hot water. Bring to boil together and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle coriander leaves and turn off the gas.
- Serve hot with phulkas, steamed rice or pulao.
I love a good dal tadka! will try this one out 🙂
dal tadka is a must try at this shiv sagar in bengaluru. I’ve even asked some of my set of friends in cooking school at hotel management to try replicating dal tadka made at shiv sagar. alas no luck. Ive not had dal fry elsewhere, that can compare to this one. this shiv sagar is near woodlands hotel, near double road. i had to google the address for you – Double Road, 1st Block, Sampangi Rama Nagar, Bengaluru.
I love dal tadka must try this one. Are these masala available in the market then?
the dal tadka u made is very yummy my mom always make lik this so surely this is awesome!!
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