How to Make Tarka Dal

Steps

1. Prepare the lentils. Put 300g of red dal into a sieve, and rinse with cold water under a tap, until the water runs almost clear.

   • Bring 850ml of water to the boil in a non-stick pan, and add the lentils.
   • Immediately, add a teaspoon of turmeric and 1/4 teaspoon of ground coriander. Stir, then leave to bubble gently for 15 to 20 minutes, until the lentils are soft, and the water is frothy. Stir occasionally. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/25\/Make-Tarka-Dal-Step-1Bullet2.jpg\/v4-460px-Make-Tarka-Dal-Step-1Bullet2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/25\/Make-Tarka-Dal-Step-1Bullet2.jpg\/aid524042-v4-728px-Make-Tarka-Dal-Step-1Bullet2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":306,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"485","licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
2. Chop the onion and garlic. Cut the ends off a medium onion, and chop finely. Crush 2 cloves of garlic, remove the skin, and chop them finely.
3. Spice the butter. Over a medium heat, melt 30g of butter in a non-stick frying pan. Then, add 1/4 teaspoon of cumin seeds, and about a 1/4 teaspoon of asafoetida.
4. Add onions and garlic. Add the chopped onion and garlic to the frying pan, and fry until the onion starts to brown. This will take about 6 minutes.
5. Add more spice. Sprinkle in 1/4 teaspoon of chilli powder and desired amount of salt. Keep stirring.
6. Add the Lentils. Add the boiled lentils to the pan and keep frying for another 3-4 minutes. The lentils will absorb the flavours of the butter and spices.
7. Add Garam Masala to give it a more spicy look. Add half a teaspoon of Garam Masala, and stir. Take the pan off the heat.
8. Serve it and enjoy. Top the dal with a knob of butter, and scatter some fresh chopped coriander leaves to garnish.
9. Finished.