Tarka Dal / Bengali Tarka Dal / Dhaba Style Tarka Dal

Back in Kolkata whenever my mother did not like to cook...we used to eat this Tarka Daal from a nearby Panjabi Dhaba. This daal, paired with tandoori roti was something that we could not resist, and used to search every opportunity to order one. But sometimes mother used to make that in home too. And when I asked her the recipe I was astonished to found out that it requires so little ingredients to cook.

I hardly know anyone who does not like tarka dal. My whole family, my cousins, my husband and even my in-laws love to eat them. In Bengal its highly popular as a staple road-side meal. You can make them with chicken, mutton and egg. And if you are a vegetarian then skip them altogether and it will taste still as good and yummy!!

Dish Reminder:

• I like my dal to be a little green but if you notice the tarka dal that we buy is more dark and brown. In that case increase the quantity of red kidney beans.

Tarka Dal / Bengali Tarka Dal / Dhaba StyleTarka Dal

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup whole green gram or moong dal
• 2 tbsp chana daal
• a handful of red kidney beans
• 1 onion - thinly sliced
• 1 tomato - chopped
• 2 green chilies - chopped
• 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt
• 1 small bunch of fresh coriander leaves - chopped
• 1 egg - beaten
• 10gm butter

Method:

• Soak the whole moong daal, chana dal and red kidney beans overnight.
• Put them in a pressure cooker with water, salt, turmeric powder. Do not put excess water. Tarka dal is mainly served thick in consistency.
• When cooked, give them a good stir to mash a little.
• In a pan heat oil and put the sugar.
• Let it caramelize. 
• Put the onion and stir.
• When it becomes translucent add the ginger-garlic paste.
• Sauté until the onions become golden-brown.
• Then add the tomatoes and cook until they are soft and mashed.
• Add the cooked dal.
• Add the red chili powder and cook covered until the water is 70% evaporated.
• Now add the dried fenugreek leaves and garam masala powder and chopped green chili.
• Put the beaten egg in a swirl motion and sir with force to mix the egg evenly with the daal.
• Add butter.
• Stir to melt that.
• Serve hot with chopped coriander leaves.