Tarka Daal Is The Soul-Warming Dinner You Need Right Now

Tarka Daal Is The Soul-Warming Dinner You Need Right Now
Tarka daal, is one of our favourite soul-warming, stomach-filling, store-cupboard dinner wins. We love this Indian dish because a) it's damn right delicious, and b) we often have all the ingredients in our cupboard and fridge already.

What is daal?

Daal - which is commonly spelt as dal, or dhal - is a word that both describes an ingredient AND a dish. Firstly daal is a term used to describe dried, split pulses like lentils, peas and beans. But for many of us daal is most commonly known to be a thick, soup-like dish made using said pulses.

What is tarka?

Also known to some as baghaar or chownk, tarka is basically the process of frying/tempering a bunch of spices in oil, or ghee. Using spices such as fenugreek, fennel seeds and mustard seeds, the spices will begin to pop and sizzle, releasing that gorgeous aroma and flavour.

So what is tarka daal?

Put both of the above cooking terms together and you've got yourself tarka daal. This simply means you have a gorgeously simple red lentil dahl, with your tarka stirred through it.

MAKES:
4 - 6
TOTAL TIME:
1 HOUR 30 MINS
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE DAAL
200 g red lentils
600 ml water
1 onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, grated
2 cm ginger, peeled and grated
2 tsp. garam masala
1/2 tsp. chilli powder
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tbsp. tomato puree
1 x 400g (14oz) tin chopped tomatoes
2 tsp. salt
FOR THE TARKA
2 tbsp. ghee or vegetable oil
1 red chilli, deseeded and diced
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/4 tsp. fennel seeds
1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds
4 dried curry leaves, crushed
1 handful fresh coriander, chopped

DIRECTIONS
In a large saucepan, and all the daal ingredients, cover with water and bring to the boil. Cook for 45min, stirring occasionally (it should have the consistency of thick porridge). While cooking, use a slotted spoon to remove any of the foamy residue that floats to the surface.
Once cooked, add salt and give a gentle stir.
To make the tarka, heat the ghee or oil in a small saucepan. Add the chilli, mustard seeds and fennel seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop take off the heat and add the fenugreek seeds and curry leaves. Pour the tarka mixture into the lentils, stir and cover with a lid. Allow to sit for a couple of minutes then stir in fresh coriander and serve.