Tarka dhal

Name: Tarka dhal
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 250g red lentils; 100g yellow mung dhal; 1 tbsp ghee; 1 tbsp flavourless oil; 1 tsp brown mustard seeds; ½ tsp cumin seeds; 2.5cm root ginger, finely chopped; 3 garlic cloves, crushed; 20 curry leaves; 1 medium onion, finely chopped; 1 green chilli, left whole; 1 ripe plum tomato, finely chopped; 1 tsp chilli powder; ¼ tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp fine sea salt; lemon or lime juice, to taste; coriander, to serve; 2 tbsp ghee; 1 tbsp oil; 1 echalion shallot, finely sliced; 3-4 garlic cloves, finely sliced; a pinch of asafoetida (optional); ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (or hot paprika)

Instructions

Prep:20min

These are traditional north Indian roadside café-style tempered lentils. In this version, chef Aktar Islam has used red lentils and mung, but you can try a different combination of pulses if you choose.

Updated at: Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:11:54 GMT