Indian · Free recipe
Yellow Lentil Dal
Split yellow lentils cook down with turmeric until they dissolve into a velvety, porridge-like soup. The real magic happens at the end, when a sizzling tadka of ghee, mustard seeds, dried chiles, and garlic is poured over the top and crackles loudly as it hits the pot.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Easy
Method
-
Combine the rinsed dal, water, turmeric, and salt in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and skim off the foam that rises to the surface.
-
Reduce to a gentle simmer, partly cover, and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils are completely soft and falling apart.
-
Add the tomato, whisk vigorously for a minute to break down the lentils, and thin with hot water to a pourable, soupy consistency.
-
For the tadka, heat the ghee in a small pan over medium-high heat until shimmering, add the mustard seeds, and cover briefly until they stop popping.
-
Add the cumin seeds, dried chiles, and garlic and fry for about 1 minute until the garlic turns light golden, then stir in the asafoetida for a few seconds.
-
Pour the sizzling tadka straight into the dal, stir in the lemon juice and cilantro, and serve with rice or flatbread.
Zest note from the test kitchen
Pull the garlic off the heat when it is still pale gold; it keeps cooking in the hot ghee and turns bitter within seconds of going brown.
