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Restaurant-Style Masoor Dal Tadka (Indian Split Red lentil Dal tempered with whole spices) is easy and quick to make, super comforting, creamy, and oh so flavorful! Glutenfree Soyfree Nutfree
Fans of dals will love this creamy Restaurant Style Masoor Dal Tadka!
Dal (also spelled as dhal or daal or Dahl) is one of my favorite meals – versatile, healthy, filling, and deliciously warming on a cold day.
Masoor dal is split red lentils, which are popular and easy to find at many grocery stores in the US. They are cheap and cook quickly making them a great choice for a simple weeknight meal. Red lentils are also available whole and they will work as well. Just cook a few minutes longer.
Dal can be made thick,or thin and soupier, and you can use any kind of lentil. The tadka or tempering adds layers of complex flavors to the dal. The tempering can be mixed in into the dal or just drizzled on top.
This restaurant style version has not one but two tadkas or tempering to infuse with a lot of flavor. A small amount of yogurt adds tang and brings the flavors together. A pinch of cloves brings out the garlic and savory flavor. This dal is going wow everyone! You can make this a thinner Dal with additional water or non dairy milk and serve it as a warming soup!
Is Dal a soup or a curry?
You will often find Dals translated into English either as soups or curries. I would say they are more a soup than a curry, but also neither. Dals are Dals. Different types of lentils and beans cooked with and without added veggies or ingredients and tempered with whole or ground spices or just aromatics.
A general everyday Dal does not have any added cream or coconut milk. Split lentils will cook to a soft state and get creamy. Or if you like them less broken down, then cook a few mins less. Dals like Dal makhani have some added cream. Restaurants might add additional butter or sometimes cream to make Dals more appealing.
As with ethnic cuisines the translations don’t always do justice. Indian Dals are often called lentil curry, which seems to be a logical translation. But lentil curry is also a term used for lentils cooked with curry powder (which isn’t Indian) and coconut milk. The creamy, higher fat, slightly sweet lentil curry is different from(and often loved more compared to) a lighter lentil and water based and spiced Dals. Dals are savory, light and just Dals.
Vegan Dal Recipes:
- Punjabi Dal Fry
- Urad Dal
- Lentil Curry Casserole
- Easy Chana Dal
- Kashmiri Dal
- Dal Tadka Mix in a Jar
- Oil free Spicy Garlic Dal
- Hubbs’ Dal fry
- Dal Makhani
Vegan Masoor Dal Tadka Indian Split Red Lentil Dal
Ingredients
- 1 cup split red lentils, , masoor dal
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
For the first tempering:
- 1 teaspoons oil
- 1 medium-size red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon yogurt or 2 tablespoon coconut cream
For the second tempering:
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 hot indian green chilies or serrano pepper , slit or sliced or use 2 dried red chili instead or use mild chilies of choice
- 1/2 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves, kasuri methi
- 1 garlic clove, julienned
- 1/2 inch ginger, thinly sliced or julienned
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- a good pinch of ground cloves
- cilantro and lemon juice for garnish
Instructions
- Make your dal: Wash the lentils really well then soak in water for 10 minutes. Drain then add to a saucepan with the water, salt, and turmeric and cook over medium heat until the lentils are cooked to preference. Partially cover and cook so that the water doesn't completely evaporate. You can add more water after 15 minutes if the lentils are too thick. Depending on your stove and saucepan, you'll need 15-20 minutes for the lentils to cook.Instant Pot: To cook the lentils in an instant pot, pressure cook for 3 minutes, then quick release after 10 mins.
- Make the first tempering: In a medium skillet, add the oil, add the onion and garlic and a good pinch of salt and cook until the onion is golden brown. You can add few drops of water in between to deglaze if the onion is starting to scorch too much or sticking to the pan.
- Once the onion is golden brown, transfer half of the mixture to another bowl to use as garnish later. Add in the ginger, coriander, cumin and mix well.
- Cook for a minute then add your tomato and 2 tablespoons water and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix well and cook until the tomato is tender.
- Mash the large pieces and add in 1 tablespoon yogurt or 2 tablespoons of non-dairy cream such as cashew cream or coconut cream and mix in.
- Then mix the cooked dal in this tempering and bring to a boil. Taste and adjust salt and flavor. (Adjust consistency at this point to preference. Add more water for thinner dal and bring to just about a boil ) Transfer the masoor dal to your serving dish.
- Now make the second tempering: heat the oil in a small skillet. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and wait for the cumin seeds to change color and get fragrant. You should smell toasty cumin seeds far and wide!
- Add the bay leaves, green chilies, kasuri methi, ginger, garlic, and mix well and cook until the green chilies and garlic are somewhat golden.
- Add in the paprika, ground cloves, mix in and take off heat.
- Add the reserved caramelized onion as well and swirl it in. Drizzle the tempering all over the dal in the serving dish.
- Garnish with some cilantro and some lemon juice if needed. Serve with some Gobi aloo (cauliflower potatoes), bhindi masala (okra), cabbage, or poriyal (spiced green bean carrot ) . Serve with Naan or Glutenfree flatbread or basmati rice.
Video
Notes
- Lentil subs: You can use other split Dals or a mix of Dals as well. Use petite yellow lentils (moong dal -will take 25 mins to cook in saucepan and 8 mins in instant pot), or split pigeon pea( toor dal – 35 mins in saucepan and 10-14 in instant pot), split black gram lentils (Urad dal, 25 mins saucepan, 4 mins instant pot) . Whole red lentils will take 25 mins in saucepan and 6 mins in instant pot
- No Onion Garlic: use zucchini instead of onion. Julienne it and let it get golden on some edges. Omit the garlic and add a pinch of asafetida (hing) or add 1/2 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
- Scale up: This recipe is easily double or tripled. You’ll need a tad less water to cook the lentils with increased amounts. also adjust the heat. Use less peppers and heat components to begin with and add more later if needed
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients:
- red lentils (masoor dal): Cooking the lentils separately allows them to get to the perfect level of tender before adding the tempering. Mixing everything and cooking can sometimes make the dal flavor one note
- tempering 1: red onion, garlic cloves, ginger, coriander, cumin, and tomatoes, fried in oil until fragrant
- Yogurt brings the flavors together
- tempering 2: cumin seeds, bay leaves, green chilies, dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), garlic clove, ginger and paprika, as well as a good pinch of ground cloves fried in oil
- cilantro and lemon juice for garnish
Tips & Substitutions:
- in this recipe, you want to season with the right amount of salt, as salt is what blooms the flavor on our tastebuds.
- lentil subs: You can use other split Dals or a mix of Dals as well. Use petite yellow lentils (moong dal -will take 25 mins to cook in saucepan and 8 mins in instant pot), or split pigeon pea(toor dal – 35 mins in saucepan, 10-14 in instant pot), split black gram lentils (Urad dal, 25 mins saucepan, 4 mins instant pot) . Whole red lentils will take 25 mins in saucepan and 6 mins in instant pot. See pictures of all Dals on my Indian Dals page
- No Onion Garlic: use zucchini instead of onion. Julienne it and let it get golden on some edges. Omit the garlic and add a pinch of asafetida (hing) or add 1/2 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
Make your dal: Wash the lentils really well then soak in water for 10 minutes. Drain then add to a saucepan with the water, salt, and turmeric and cook over medium heat until the lentils are cooked to preference. Partially cover and cook so that the water doesn’t completely evaporate. You can add more water after 15 minutes if the lentils are too thick. Depending on your stove and saucepan, you’ll need 15-20 minutes for the lentils to cook.
Instant Pot: To cook the lentils in an instant pot, pressure cook for 3 minutes, then quick release after 10 mins.
Make the first tempering: In a medium skillet, add the oil, add the onion and garlic and a good pinch of salt and cook until the onion is golden brown. You can add a few drops of water in between to deglaze if the onion is starting to scorch too much or is sticking to the pan.
Once the onion is golden brown, transfer half of the mixture to another bowl to use as garnish later.
Add in the ginger, coriander, cumin and mix well.
Cook for a minute then add your tomato and 2 tablespoon water and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix well and cook until the tomato is tender.
Mash the large pieces and add in 1 tablespoon non dairy yogurt or 2 tablespoons of non-dairy cream such as cashew cream and mix in.
Then mix this tempering into your cooked masoor dal and bring that to a boil. Taste and adjust salt and flavor. Transfer the masoor dal to your serving dish.
Now make the second tempering: heat the oil in a small skillet. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and wait for the cumin seeds to change color and get fragrant.
Add the bay leaves, green chilies, kasuri methi, ginger, garlic, and mix well and cook until the green chilies and garlic are somewhat golden.
Add in the paprika, ground cloves, mix in and take off heat. 
Drizzle this tempering all over the dal in the serving dish and add the caramelized onion as well and swirl it in.
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Garnish with some cilantro and some lemon juice if needed and serve with some roti, flatbread, or rice.
What to serve with Masoor Dal Tadka?
With any Dal a side of spiced veggies pairs best. Along with some fresh basmati rice or roti flatbread. Try some Gobi aloo (cauliflower potatoes), bhindi masala (okra), cabbage, poriyal (spiced green bean carrot ) . Serve with Naan , GF Naan or Glutenfree flatbread.
This recipe is fantastic! Richie, you are a very talented cook and I thank you for helping me be a good cook too!! I find preparing Indian dishes to be complex but fun. I love how delicious you make a plant-based diet.
Sincerely,
Denise
great to hear Denise
Made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious. The two temperings definitely add layers of flavor! Yum!
Awesome
WOW Richa, this is so amazingly tasty!
I didn’t use oil and used cashew cream and gram masala since I didn’t have coconut cream or cloves. I can’t believe that I missed this recipe since it looks like it has been around for a year now. My husband and I love your recipes. We just got a vegan Indian restaurant nearby but unfortunately the use a lot of oil. Dal is our favorite!😍
Wonderful! I’m so glad to hear.
Thank you, Cheryl!
Great recipe Richa! The onions, final tempering tadka, along with the lemon juice really take this to the next level!
I used half masoor dal and half urad dal. I added some fresh coriander root with the chopped tomatoes. Also used some vegan coconut ghee too in place of the oil!
Thanks again Richa!
Great additions!
Amazing recipe, Richa!! Sooo delicious!! Loved it! Hubs loved it too! Which part of India is this recipe from? I’m loving the culinary tour of India! Thank you for your great recipes!
It’s a modified restaurant version. I have similar one in my Indian kitchen book and old posts on the blog. I started adding toasted fenugreek coz I really loved that flavor from making all the baked Indian casseroles. The clove powder I picked from chef Ranveer brar’s Dals . Just made some kondattam this week, keep your eyes peeled for that one too!
I should add these details to the post! In keeping track of things to add to the post for search engines I forget to add these origin stories.
Ooh looking forward to the kondattam! This daal was bangin’! My husband and I felt that it was like restaurant style daal, and we really loved it! The toasted fenugreek leaves and the cloves added a unique and aromatic flavor too! Thank you for your ever-inspiring recipes, Richa! I’ve never had a flop when I have tried your recipes! Looking forward to your new cookbook!
yummmmmmyyyy, thank you!
This was seriously the best dal I have ever had. While cooking it, the smell assaulted your sense of smell (in the best way possible) and that led you to KNOW that the flavors were going to be out of this world. This dal is not complicated, but there are lots of steps. I enlisted the help of my husband who loved that he got to help create this dish. I would absolutely double this recipe (if not triple it). It freezes beautifully. While you cook the lentils, do not worry about the blandness of them, the tadka gives them all the flavor they need.
I am now on a mission to make all of Vegan Richa’s dals!
So awesome Suzanne!!!!!
We had this tonight for dinner along with the Aloo Gobi. Both were so delicious alongside rice and papaad.
Thank you for the great recipes!
Awesome!!
This was phenomenal! Can’t wait to make all the other Dals!
Thanks!
Thanks so much for including a no onion or garlic substitution option! I love your recipes, especially the Indian ones, and it’s super helpful to have this option. I also love how convenient some of your easy Instant Pot recipes with very little “hands-on” time can be. It really makes delicious healthy homemade meals a viable option for some of us who happen to be either pretty busy or pretty lazy (or both)!
I’m sure this recipe will be as tasty your other recipes when I try it.
Thanks! Let me know when you try it !
Hi again
Forgot to mention, we are in our very last 70’s.
Michele Riggi
Thank you for cooking up my recipes! ❤️❤️❤️
Hi
My husband is a vegan (for health not philosophy).
Every recipe you write is five stars. Details and photos are much more than fine – excellent. So the quality of my cooking has nothing to do with the recipes. It’s me. I substitute things with mostly Italian herbs or spices, sometimes Spanish.
It’s a minimum 3 hour drive to an area with a thriving Asia/India populations.
What I need is a good online market. Which do you suggest.
Trying to stay away from Amazon. I’d love to buy from an independent market with an online perspective.
We live on the Eastern tip of Long Island, NY.
Just thought you might have a contact or friend with one.
Levittown, Hicksville, and one other town to the south come to mine,
but can’t remember the name.
To end…thank you for all the wonderful cooking advice and adventures.
I am a fan.
Be safe.
Michele Riggi
.
There should be some Indian shops around there. If not they might have online ordering and shipping options like patelbros.com
I usually buy my spices either from the Indian store or worldspice.com . I am working with worldspice to hopefully offer some sets of spices for Indian and other cooking that would make it easy to cook my recipes. Stay tuned!
I made the Masoor Dal Tadka from “Vegan Richa’s Indian Kitchen”. I notice that this recipe uses slightly different spices, so my recommendation is for the one in the book.
I was completely blown away by the recipe. I followed it carefully, apart from using coconut oil, which I always use in Indian recipes) and had all the ingredients apart from fresh cilantro (I am one of the 10% who finds it tastes like soap!). It was fabulous. I’d made enough for two days, served it with straightforwardly prepared brown basmati rice, and scoffed the lot. I am looking forward to making it again, but there are so many other gorgeous recipes …
I really cannot recommend this dal too highly.
it’s an acquired taste, thanks Annie