North India Statesman
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News India Live, Digital Desk: If you have a home-cooked meal and there is no hot pigeon pea dal in the plate, then it seems that the meal is incomplete. Well, we all know how to make dal, but have you ever thought that in some hands the same dal tastes like nectar and in some hands it seems completely dull? The whole game is about ‘tempering’ which breathes life into the dal after it is cooked.
Often, in a hurry, we manage by just adding cumin seeds. But if you want to give a new twist to your daily arhar dal, then these 6 tadkas given here will be very useful for you. Believe me, after this even children will beg for the dal!
1. Simple but evergreen: Asafoetida-cumin tadka
This tadka is good for the stomach as well as for the taste. When a pinch of asafoetida, cumin and a dash of red chilli in desi ghee falls on top of the dal, its fragrance fills the whole house. Apply it at the very end so that the aroma of asafoetida does not evaporate.
2. Spicy Garlic Tadka
If you are fond of garlic, then this tadka will become your favourite. When finely chopped garlic is light golden brown in ghee, its flavor matches wonderfully with arhar dal. Be sure to add some red chili powder on top for color.
3. Dhaba Style: Onion and Tomato Masala Tadka
If you want to make hotel style ‘dal fry’ using homemade dal, then this method is best. Fry finely chopped onions, then add tomatoes and green chillies. When this masala leaves oil, then turn the boiled lentils into it. This thick masala dal tastes wonderful with both roti and rice.
4. South Indian Style: Mustard and Curry Leaves
Want something a little different? Add mustard seeds, dried curry leaves and urad dal. It gives a mild fragrance to the dal. A slight taste of sambar will come in your plain arhar dal.
5. Smoky Tadka (Dhungar Style)
Do you know where that ‘smoky’ aroma in restaurant dal comes from? For this, apply normal tempering to the lentils. Then place a small burning coal in a bowl and float it over the lentils. Pour two drops of ghee on it and close the lid immediately. Open the lid after 2 minutes, you will have ‘Smoky Arhar Dal’!
6. Sweet-Sour Spicy Tadka
This tadka will remind you a bit of Gujarati dal. Add ginger, green chilli and tamarind water in the tempering. A few pieces of jaggery will change both the color and taste of the dal. This combination is very fresh and fun.
What is the correct rule for tempering?
A small but important thing: always apply tadka in an iron spoon or pan and in desi ghee only. Oil cannot give that taste. And yes, as soon as the tadka is added, immediately cover the dal with a lid so that all the taste and aroma gets absorbed within the dal.
Making dal is an art, but the right tadka makes it a poem. So which of these methods are you going to try next?
