Everyday dal tadka

Dal tadka is not a side dish, it is the protein anchor of the Indian thali. This is the everyday yellow dal your family already eats, done right: a proper katori portion, a modest tempering, and enough dal that it actually feeds you, not just flavours your rice.

Why it helps

Dal gives you plant protein and fibre in one katori, which is exactly what keeps a rice or roti meal steady instead of sleepy. Many homes make dal too thin and eat too little of it. Making it slightly thick and serving a full katori per person quietly raises the protein in your day. Why protein matters for Indian women

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 cup toor dal (or half toor, half moong dal)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 dry red chilli
• Pinch of hing (asafoetida)
• Salt to taste
• 2 teaspoons ghee or oil
• Fresh coriander, chopped

Method

1. Wash the dal well and pressure cook with turmeric, salt and about 3 cups water for 3 to 4 whistles, until soft.
2. Whisk the cooked dal lightly so it turns creamy but still has body. Keep it slightly thick, not watery.
3. Heat ghee in a small tadka pan. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter.
4. Add hing, garlic, ginger and the dry red chilli. Cook until the garlic turns light golden.
5. Add the onion and cook until soft, then the tomato, and cook until it breaks down.
6. Pour this tempering into the dal and simmer everything together for 3 to 4 minutes.
7. Finish with fresh coriander. Serve a full katori per person with rice or roti and a sabzi.

Make it your own

• Swap in whole masoor dal once or twice a week for variety and extra fibre.
• Stir in a handful of chopped palak in the last 5 minutes of simmering.
• Squeeze half a lemon on top at the table, it lifts the whole thali.

Enjoy it as part of the CurviCare Plate, or see more high-protein Indian foods.