This wealthy and creamy Caramelized Onion Dal is the right comfort food for a chilly day! It’s bursting with flavor from caramelized onions and whole spices that are tempered in oil! Serve with rice for a delicious Indian meal.
Coming at you with a straightforward lentil dal that’s bursting with flavor. That is one other dal that I just made one night once I was craving a lightweight dal and rice meal.
This caramelized onion dal is a creamy concoction of two sorts of lentils – red and yellow ones – that are cooked on the stove or using an Quick Pot after which simmered together with fragrant seasoned oil – tadka (tempering).
The caramelized onions add a complete bunch of umami flavor while the cumin and black pepper mixture added to the tempering provide some heat and a refreshing flavor!
To take this dish to the subsequent level of deliciousness we serve this lentil dish drizzled with one other round of tempering. This second mixture of whole spices fried in oil until sizzling and fragrant gets folded through the creamy dal just before serving
Use whatever lentils you have got available. I used a combination of yellow and red lentils. You’ll be able to cook them on the stovetop or within the quick pot.
More daal recipes:
Dhaba Style Butter 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
Caramelized Onion Tadka Dal
This wealthy and creamy Caramelized Onion Dal is the right comfort food for a chilly day! It’s bursting with flavor from caramelized onions and whole spices that are tempered in oil! Serve with rice or flatbread for a delicious Indian meal. Glutenfree Soyfree Nutfree
Servings: 4
Calories: 217kcal
Ingredients
For the lentils:
- 1/2 cup red lentils or masoor dal
- 1/2 cup petite yellow lentils or moong dal (or you should utilize more red lentils)
- 1 tomato chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves optional
- 3 cups water
For the tempering spices:
For the primary tempering:
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1/2 inch ginger minced
- 1/2 hot green chili minced, I exploit 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 tempering:
- 1 teaspoon oil
- The crushed spices from above
Instructions
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Cook the lentils; To cook the lentils within the quick pot, wash the lentils rather well and drain. Add the to the quick pot with the remainder of the ingredients and pressure cook for 7 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes after which open the lid.
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To cook the lentils in a saucepan add the washed and drained lentils with all of the ingredients for the lentils to a saucepan, partially covered, and cook. You would possibly have to add 1/2 cup more water if the lentils thicken an excessive amount of. Transfer the lentils to a serving dish.
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For the tempering spices; add the cumin seeds and black peppercorns to a mortar and pestle and crush them. You can too use a spice grinder to make them right into a coarse mixture and set them aside.
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For the primary tempering: heat the oil in a medium skillet, once hot, add half of the crushed cumin and peppercorn mixture then add the onion and a great pinch of salt and cook until the onion is translucent.(5-7 mins) Then add the garlic, ginger, green chili, and the remainder of the salt and proceed to cook until the onion is golden (2-4 mins). Add the garam masala and curry leaves and cook for one more half a minute.
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Add this caramelized onion mix to the cooked lentils. (Or add cooked lentils to the caramelized onion skillet). Gently stir but don’t mix completely. You wish some clusters of caramelized onion throughout the dal.
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Make the second tempering: Heat the oil in a small skillet, once hot add the remaining cumin seeds/ peppercorn mixture and cook until the mixture becomes fragrant. Then pour it over the dal/cooked lentils. Garnish it with cilantro and lemon juice.
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Store in a closed container for upto 3 days. Freeze for upto a month.To make ahead: keep the tempering separate and warmth and add just before serving
Notes
- Curry leaves: In the event you cannot find curry leaves , leave them out and add 2 bay leaves and lime juice
- To make this without onion and garlic: use neutral veggies corresponding to peeled and chopped zucchini, summer squash or opo squash(lauki) , or chopped celery or fennel as a substitute of onion. Add a generous pinch asafetida or 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves as an alternative choice to garlic.
- Oilfree: sauté onion in broth. Dry toast the cumin pepper mixture on a dry skillet until fragrant after which use.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Caramelized Onion Tadka Dal
Amount Per Serving
Calories 217
Calories from Fat 36
% Day by day Value*
Fat 4g6%
Saturated Fat 0.3g2%
Sodium 471mg20%
Potassium 586mg17%
Carbohydrates 34g11%
Fiber 15g63%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 13g26%
Vitamin A 330IU7%
Vitamin C 36mg44%
Calcium 58mg6%
Iron 4mg22%
* Percent Day by day Values are based on a 2000 calorie eating regimen.
![Indian Caramelized Onion Dal served in a bowl along with rice]()
Ingredients:
- For the lentils, I used a combination of red lentils and yellow lentils(masoor dal and moong dal). You need to use all red or all yellow or any lentils you have got available
- fresh tomato adds acidity and sweetness
- spices: For the tempering, we fry crushed cumin seeds and black peppercorn in some oil then add garam masala
- as with most daal recipes, fresh ginger, garlic, and chili are added to the tempering after the entire spices
- curry leaves add a nutty and earthy flavor to this daal – use dry or fresh or frozen
Suggestions & Substitutions:
- In the event you cannot find curry leaves , leave them out and add 2 bay leaves and lime juice
- To make this without onion and garlic: use neutral veggies corresponding to peeled and chopped zucchini, summer squash or opo squash(lauki) , or chopped celery or fennel as a substitute of onion. Add a generous pinch asafetida or 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves as an alternative choice to garlic.
The right way to make caramelized onion dal:
Cook the lentils: To cook the lentils within the quick pot, wash the lentils rather well and drain. Add the to the quick pot with the remainder of the ingredients and pressure cook for 7 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes after which open the lid.
To cook the lentils in a saucepan add the washed and drained lentils with all of the ingredients for the lentils to a saucepan, partially cover, and cook. You would possibly have to add 1/2 cup more water if the lentils thicken an excessive amount of.
For the tempering spices; add the cumin seeds and black peppercorns to a mortar and pestle and crush them. You can too use a spice grinder to show them right into a coarse mixture and set them aside.
For the primary tempering, heat the oil in a medium skillet. Once hot, add half of the crushed cumin and peppercorn mixture then add the onion and a great pinch of salt and cook until the onion is translucent.
Then add the garlic, ginger, green chili, and the remainder of the salt and proceed to cook until the onion is golden. Add the garam masala and curry leaves and cook for one more half a minute or so.
Transfer the cooked lentils to a serving bowl. add this onion mixture to the lentils. (Or transfer cooked lentils to the skillet with the onions). Gently stir but don’t mix the onions in completely.
Make the second tempering: Heat the oil in a small skillet, once hot add the remaining cumin seeds/ peppercorn mixture and cook until the mixture becomes fragrant. Then pour it over the dal/cooked lentils. Garnish it with cilantro and lemon juice.
Storage:
Store in a closed container for upto 3 days. Freeze for as much as a month. To make ahead: keep the tempering separate and warmth and add just before serving
What to serve with this caramelized onion dal
Serve with flatbread, roti , naan or with rice. and a side or cauliflower potatoes, crispy cumin potatoes or green bean carrots. and a side salad- Kachumber Salad.
