This rich and creamy Caramelized Onion Dal is the perfect comfort food for a cold day! It’s bursting with flavors of caramelized onions and whole spices tempered in oil! Serve with rice for a delicious Indian meal.
Coming to you with a simple lentil dal that is bursting with flavor. This is another dal I just made one evening when I was craving a light dal and rice meal.
This caramelized onion dal is a creamy concoction of two types of lentils – red and yellow – which are cooked on the stove or using an Instant Pot, then simmered with fragrant seasoned oil – tadka (tempering ).
The caramelized onions add a whole heap of umami flavor while the cumin and black pepper blend added to the tempering adds a bit of heat and a refreshing flavor!
To take this dish to the next level of deliciousness, we serve this lentil dish washed down with another round of tempering. This second blend of whole spices fried in oil until sizzling and aromatic bends through the creamy dal just before serving
Use whatever lenses you have on hand. I used a mixture of yellow and red lentils. You can cook them on the stove or in the Instant Pot.
More dal recipes:
Dhaba Style Buttered Dal (Vegan)
Sabut Moong Dal Creamy Green Mung Beans
Vegan Handi Lentils (Creamy Indian Dal)
Masoor Dal Tadka (Indian split red lentil dal)
Spicy urad dal (Black Gram lentil dal)
Print recipe
Tadka Dal with caramelized onions
This rich and creamy Caramelized Onion Dal is the perfect comfort food for a cold day! It’s bursting with flavors of caramelized onions and whole spices tempered in oil! Serve with rice or flatbread for a delicious Indian meal. Gluten free Soy free Nut free
Servings: 4
calories: 217calories
Ingredients
For the lentils:
- 1/2 Chopped off red lentils or masoor dal
- 1/2 Chopped off small yellow lentils or moong dal (or you can use more red lentils)
- 1 tomato chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves optional
- 3 cups the water
For the temperate spices:
For the first temper:
- 2 coffee spoons oil
- 1 Chopped off chopped onion
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1/2 thumb Ginger chopped
- 1/2 hot green pepper chopped, I use serrano or indian or thai
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 5-6 curry leaves (fresh or dried or frozen)
For the second temper:
- 1 teaspoon oil
- Spices crushed from above
Instructions
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Cook the lentils; To cook the lentils in the instant pot, wash the lentils well and drain them. Add to instant pot with remaining ingredients and pressure cook for 7 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes then open the lid.
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To cook the lentils in a pot add the washed and drained lentils with all the lentil ingredients to a partially covered pot and cook. You may need to add an additional 1/2 cup of water if the lentils thicken too much. Transfer the lentils to a serving platter.
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For the tempered spices; add the cumin seeds and black peppercorns to a mortar and pestle and crush them. You can also use a spice grinder to coarsely blend them and set them aside.
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For the first dip: heat the oil in a medium frying pan, once hot, add half of the cumin and crushed pepper mixture then add the onion and a good pinch of salt and cook until the onion is translucent.( 5-7 mins) Then add the garlic, ginger, green chilli and the rest of the salt and continue cooking until the onion is golden (2-4 min). Add the garam masala and curry leaves and cook for another half minute.
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Add this mixture of caramelized onions to the cooked lentils. (Or add the cooked lentils to the pan with the caramelized onions). Stir gently but do not mix completely. You want caramelized onion clusters throughout the dal.
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Make the second dip: Heat the oil in a small frying pan, once hot add the rest of the cumin seeds/pepper mixture and cook until the mixture becomes fragrant. Then pour it over the dal/cooked lentils. Garnish with cilantro and lemon juice.
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Shop in a closed container for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to a month. To make ahead: keep tempering separate and heat and add just before serving.
Remarks
- curry leaves: If you can’t find curry leaves, leave them aside and add 2 bay leaves and lime juice
- To do it without onion or garlic: Use neutral vegetables such as peeled and chopped zucchini, summer squash or opo (lauki) squash, or chopped celery or fennel instead of onion. Add a generous pinch of asafetida or 1 teaspoon of dried fenugreek leaves as a garlic substitute.
- Oil free: Brown the onion in the broth. Dry roast the cumin and pepper mixture in a dry pan until fragrant, then use it.
Nutrition
Nutritional intakes
Tadka Dal with caramelized onions
Amount per serving
calories 217
Calories from fat 36
% Daily Value*
Large 4g6%
Saturated Fat 0.3g2%
Sodium 471mg20%
Potassium 586mg17%
Carbohydrates 34g11%
15g fiber63%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 13g26%
Vitamin A 330IU7%
Vitamin C 36mg44%
Calcium 58mg6%
Iron 4mg22%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Ingredients:
- For the lentils, I used a mixture of red lentils and yellow lentils (masoor dal and moong dal). You can use any red or all yellow lentils or any lentils you have on hand
- fresh tomato adds acidity and sweetness
- spices: For tempering, crushed cumin seeds and black pepper are fried in oil and then garam masala is added
- as with most daal recipes, fresh ginger, garlic and chilli are added to the tempering after the whole spices
- curry leaves add a nutty, earthy flavor to this daal – use dry or fresh or frozen
Tips and replacements:
- If you can’t find curry leaves, leave them aside and add 2 bay leaves and lime juice
- To do it without onion or garlic: Use neutral vegetables such as peeled and chopped zucchini, summer squash or opo (lauki) squash, or chopped celery or fennel instead of onion. Add a generous pinch of asafetida or 1 teaspoon of dried fenugreek leaves as a garlic substitute.
How to make Caramelized Onion Dal:
Cook the lentils: To cook the lentils in the instant pot, wash the lentils well and drain them. Add to instant pot with remaining ingredients and pressure cook for 7 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes then open the lid.
To cook the lentils in a pot, add the washed and drained lentils with all the lentil ingredients to a pot, partially cover and cook. You may need to add an additional 1/2 cup of water if the lentils thicken too much.
For the temperate spices; add the cumin seeds and black peppercorns to a mortar and pestle and crush them. You can also use a spice grinder to grind them into a coarse mixture and set them aside.
For the first dip, heat the oil in a medium skillet. Once hot, add half of the cumin and cracked pepper mixture then add the onion and a good pinch of salt and cook until the onion is translucent.
Then add the garlic, ginger, green chilli and remaining salt and continue to cook until the onion is golden brown. Add the garam masala and curry leaves and cook for another half minute or so.
Transfer the cooked lentils to a serving bowl. add this onion mixture to the lentils. (Or transfer the cooked lentils to the pan with the onions). Stir gently but do not mix the onions completely.
Make the second dip: Heat the oil in a small frying pan, once hot add the rest of the cumin seeds/pepper mixture and cook until the mixture becomes fragrant. Then pour it over the dal/cooked lentils. Garnish with cilantro and lemon juice.
Storage:
Store in a closed container for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to a month. To make ahead: keep tempering separate and heat and add just before serving
What to serve with this caramelized onion dal
Serve with flatbread, roti, naan or rice. and a side dish or cauliflower potatoes, cumin crispy potatoes or green bean carrots. and a side salad – Kachumber Salad.
