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Restaurant Style Tarka Dhal Recipe

July 30, 2013 By Dan Toombs 33 Comments

Tarka dhal is so easy to make! Here’s how…

I don’t know about you but I can’t go out for a curry without ordering a nice side of tarka dhal. It’s the perfect mild accompaniment for a curry.

Tarka dhal is also nice added to curries such as dhansaks.

To make this tarka dhal recipe, I use Massoor dhal (split small red lentils). Red lentils are available in most supermarkets though you will find them cheaper at Asian markets.

Massoor dhal, unlike other lentils only needs to be washed and rinsed under cold water. I do let mine soak in fresh water for about a half hour while I prepare the other ingredients but it isn’t really necessary.

tarka dhal

Getting this recipe right…

So many people have said to me that they just can’t get their tarka dhal to taste as good as it does in curry houses.

This recipe will get the results you’re looking for. 

I’m afraid, however that the secret to that amazing tarka dhal flavour is ghee and lots of it.

This recipe is from my cookbook ‘The Curry Guy Bible’ where I suggest using about 3 tbsp of ghee. Hey, it’s a cookbook and people don’t like finding recipes that are too fatty these days.

The thing is, the chefs at good curry houses know that people love ghee. They use a lot more than 3 tablespoons of the stuff!

So for the blog, I have made it like I have seen in made hundreds of times. You can use the amount of ghee suggested in the recipe or use one heck of a lot more as I do in the photos below.

That ghee is what makes a good tarka dhal, great!

I recently streamed a live video of me making this tarka dhal recipe. Look and see how easy it is and please be sure to subscribe to my Youtube channel for more live videos.

Ingredient substitutes…

You might like to try this recipe using different lentils or a combination of different lentils. Some lentils require a longer cooking time so be sure to read the label.

At curry houses, they normally use red split lentils as I have here because they cook to perfection so quickly.

I often make this dhal with a combination of moong, chana and massoor lentils. This takes more time and although very nice, it is just as good with plain old red lentils. 

Following are step by step photographed instructions on cooking tarka dhal. 

Simmering lentils

Simmer the lentils until soft. Skim off any foam that rises to the top.

melting ghee

While the lentils are simmering, go ahead and melt the ghee over medium-high heat.

Adding whole spices to the pan

When melted, add the whole spices and curry leaves.

Stirring chopped onions

Stir in the chopped onions and fry for about 5 minutes until soft and lightly browned.

Adding garlic to the pan

Now add the garlic and fry for another minute in the ghee.

Adding ground spices to the pan

Add the ground spices and stir into the ghee.

finished tarka

Your tarka is ready.

pouring tarka over the dhal

Pour most of the tarka over the dhal, leaving a little to garnish.

Here are more curry house curry favourites you might like to try!

Chicken Korma
Chicken Madras
Chicken Dhansak
Lamb Rogan Josh
Lamb Vindaloo
Chicken Chilli Garlic
Chicken Patia
Lamb Bhuna

finished tarka dhal

Amazing. Try this recipe with lots of ghee. You won’t be sorry.

Spoon with dhal on it.

Dig in!

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Tarka dhal doesn’t get much easier or tastier than the following recipe!

 

Yield: 4 - 6

A Fantastic Tarka Dhal Recipe

A Fantastic Tarka Dhal Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 250g Massoor dhal – rinsed with water
  • 3 tablespoon ghee (or more) see above.
  • 10 fresh curry leaves (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 x cinnamon stick
  • 1 onion - finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp garam masala
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Pour about 400ml of water over your lentils in a sauces pan and simmer over medium high heat until tender. Remove any foam that forms on the top. Cooking the lentils should take about 25 minutes.
  2. While your lentils are cooking, melt the ghee in a frying pan and add the curry leaves, cumin seeds and cinnamon stick.
  3. Stir in the chopped onion and fry for about 5 minutes until browned.
  4. Add the chopped garlic, garam masala and turmeric and stir it into the hot ghee..
  5. Pour the most of the ghee mixture (the tarka) over the lentils and stir it all in. Leave some to garnish.
  6. Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with the remaining tarka.

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© Dan Toombs
Cuisine: British Indian Restaurant (BIR) / Category: Side dish

tarka dhalI hope you enjoy making this curry house style tarka dhal. If you do or if you tried a variation, please let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.

Filed Under: Dhal Recipes, Favourites

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Comments

  1. Marie says

    September 5, 2013 at 5:31 pm

    I have had this bookmarked for a while and finally got round to making it tonight. I have to agree with you it is fantastic. My chillies were a bit helpless but it didn’t spoil the dish. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      September 16, 2013 at 5:21 pm

      Thank you Marie. I’m really glad you liked the dish too.

      Dan

      Reply
  2. Darren says

    January 5, 2015 at 12:48 pm

    Stumbled upon this and it sounded nice. Followed the directions, although I used half red lentils and half chana dhal. Worked out really well and I will definately make it again! Delicious and healthy, I think it makes a very wholesome meal.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      January 12, 2015 at 2:15 pm

      Thank you Darren for trying my recipe. It’s always good to use what you have on hand and it sounds like you dod. Great. Thanks for commenting.

      Dan

      Reply
  3. Kyle says

    February 6, 2015 at 3:24 pm

    Thank you for all your efforts Dan, love the site. Just wondering where you add the ground coriander when making this? It’s on the ingredients but not in the actions. Also, just out of curiosity, do you recall the three types of lentils the original chef used? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      November 3, 2015 at 7:59 am

      Hi Kyle

      She used chana, massoor and moong dal. Mostly massoor though. I’ve changed the recipe so that there isn’t any coriander powder. That said, you could still add it. About a teaspoon when you add the garam masala.

      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
  4. Sam says

    February 10, 2015 at 8:00 pm

    HELP… I’m making this (mid way through chopping) but I’m unclear on when to add the ground coriander OR the Masala bit?? The Garam Masala goes in at the end but how about the seperate recipe at the bottom for Masala? When does that go in? With the coriander I understand when to add the freshly chopped coriander but when do I add the coriander powder?? Please help asap if you can… Thank you

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      February 13, 2015 at 10:10 am

      Hi Sam

      I’ll have a look at the recipe. Really it doesn’t make a lot of difference. I usually add spices first and fresh ingredients like coriander at the end. To be honest, I’ve cooked this a lot of ways and it usually comes out quite similar.

      Dan

      Reply
      • Hyder Ali says

        July 9, 2020 at 7:43 am

        Can I use only half of onion ? because I am not really a fan of “fried onions”.

        Reply
        • Dan Toombs says

          July 21, 2020 at 10:37 am

          Hi
          Yes, I am sure that would work fine.
          Thanks
          Dan

          Reply
  5. Mas says

    September 10, 2015 at 8:55 pm

    My first time to get this dish right… and I have tried several other recipes. But this one is perfect…. truly restaurant style. The whole family enjoyed it 🙂

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      October 4, 2015 at 7:47 am

      Thank you very much Mas. Really glad you all enjoyed the recipe.

      Cheers
      Dan

      Reply
  6. paul says

    March 20, 2016 at 12:03 am

    Is the amount of garam masala in this recipe correct? It says 2 TABLESPOONS, which seems extreme. By comparison, other similar recipes only use 3/4 to 1 TEASPOON, so I’m thinking this recipe should say 2tsp at the most.

    I would be very pleased if you could clarify.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 8, 2016 at 12:00 pm

      Hi Paul

      With that recipe, it is actually two tablespoons but please by all means use less to taste.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  7. Gil Linton says

    August 17, 2016 at 1:11 pm

    Thanks for an excellent recipe. I added a small tweak by substituting curry leaves (didn’t have any) with dry roasted fenugreek seeds.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      August 17, 2016 at 8:34 pm

      Hi Gil

      That sounds like an interesting idea I’m going to have to try. It sounds very southern Indian. 🙂

      Cheers,
      Dan

      Reply
      • Gil Linton says

        August 18, 2016 at 12:42 pm

        It gave a lovely aromatic vibe , although the fenugreek aroma was still pretty pervasive throughout the kitchen after 24 hours…

        Reply
  8. peter says

    May 2, 2017 at 8:02 am

    Not mentioned to date in the comments, but the quantity of water to boil the lentils is surely wrong. I kept on having to top up. Probably ended up almost doubling the stated volume.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      May 3, 2017 at 7:49 am

      Hi Peter

      That is fine. If you need to add water, go for it. I usually don’t. I just cook gently over medium heat but would not hesitate to add water if needed. Hope you liked the recipe in the end.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
      • peter says

        May 3, 2017 at 10:13 am

        Thanks Dan,
        Sadly I have a ceramic hob, so it is difficult to regulate temperature and keep it consistent. Maybe that’s why my water evaporates too quickly.
        As for the recipe, next time I think I’ll cut back on the garam masala…
        Good luck with your book launch!

        Reply
        • Dan Toombs says

          May 3, 2017 at 10:41 am

          Thank you very much Peter.

          Reply
  9. Ian David Del Agua says

    September 4, 2017 at 7:54 am

    I’m encountering the same evaporation problem as Peter. The Dhal absorbs the water and the tarka is not sufficient to fully moisten the lentils again. That said the flavour is awesome. Could I use some base sauce or continue with water to give it a runnier consistency?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      September 7, 2017 at 9:28 am

      Hi Ian

      You could use base sauce but I usually just add more water as required.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  10. Jeanette says

    February 28, 2018 at 4:53 pm

    Your the Man Dan , so far every thing perfect , thank you for your knowledge , keeping your secrets to my self ,(Son inlaw} for couple of weeks . Your new book , again fantastic . thank you Dan xx

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      March 1, 2018 at 11:45 am

      Thank you very much Jeanette. Much appreciated. 🙂

      Dan

      Reply
  11. Steve Ashdown says

    March 25, 2018 at 5:07 pm

    Hi Dan.
    Nice recipe this. I am no way a veggie, but combined this with a home made tomato chutney, cheese and onion dosa.
    Made a fantastic meal.
    Keep up the good work mate.
    Cheers Steve.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      April 30, 2018 at 6:50 am

      Thank you very much Steve.

      Dan

      Reply
  12. LINDSAY says

    July 5, 2018 at 10:20 pm

    HI Dan,

    Do you know if the dhal freezes well? Was hoping to freeze portion’s ready for dhansaks.

    Thanks

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      January 17, 2019 at 8:44 am

      Hi Lindsay

      Sure does. I freeze leftover dhal all the time.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  13. Lotus Food Gallery says

    October 11, 2018 at 2:42 pm

    wow amazing recipe

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      October 18, 2018 at 10:29 am

      Thank you. 🙂

      Reply
  14. Fiona says

    January 28, 2021 at 8:41 pm

    Just made your tarka dhal, after watching your video.I found it searching for a recipe randomly on line. And I’m so happy I stumbled on this.
    It was absolutely delicious. You seem to have been around for a while… but then i dont get much time for cooking.
    I just wanted to say thank you. I really enjoyed making it and eating it was even better.
    I might even invest in your book, Hoping to try another of your currys soon.
    Thanks again.
    Fiona

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      February 1, 2021 at 9:17 am

      Thanks very much and I am really glad you enjoyed the video.
      Dan

      Reply

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