Want restaurant style Dal Takda? Sharing the secret tadka that sets this dal tadka apart from the other yellow dal. Cooked effortlessly in the Instant Pot, plus pot-in-pot rice in under 30 minutes for a complete flavor meal.
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For the longest time as a child, I didn’t know yellow dal and dal tadka were different. My mom explained the magic of tadka-the sizzling spices that transform simple dal. Now, I use my Instant Pot pot-in-pot method to make this dal, and it’s quick, flavorful, and so convenient. In this post, I’ll share my easy recipe and tips to make restaurant-style dal tadka at home.
- Ingredients
- How to make Dal Takda and Pot-in-Pot Rice in Instant Pot
- Anvita’s Top Tip for Instant Pot Dal Tadka
- How to serve Dal Tadka
- Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
- Final thoughts
- Related
- Restaurant Style Dal Tadka with Pot in Pot Rice in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
See recipe card for quantities, here is just a gist of ingredients.
- Dals - You will need arhar (toor) or yellow split mung dal to make this dal tadka. washing thoroughly until the water run clear will make sure there is no mucky foam once the dal is pressure cooked. I also prefer to soak the dals as it aids digestion however if time is crunched, and you cannot soak the dal, just add a couple extra minutes during pressure cooking.
- Rice - making pot in pot rice makes life so much more convenient, however if you didn’t get around soaking the dal, then I recommend do not go with pot in pot rice as the couple extra minutes will change the rice texture to mushy. The timing for white rice and tis dal match, the timings won’t work for brown rice.
- Tempering - You will be tempering this dal twice once in the beginning in the pot and will finish it off with another tadka just before serving.
- Produce - you will need fresh produce like onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, green chillies, cilantro and lemon juice.
- Spices - you will need the staple, turmeric, red chili powder, cumin, whole red chillies, coriander powder, amchur, garam masala, asafoetida.
How to make Dal Takda and Pot-in-Pot Rice in Instant Pot
- Rinse and soak the yellow dals (toor & moong dal) for about 30 minutes.
- Turn on Instant Pot in sauté mode; heat ghee or oil.
- Add the onions, ginger, garlic and green chili paste & spices and sauté until fragrant.
- Add chopped tomatoes and salt; cook until soft and the oil seperates
- Add soaked dal and water, stir.
- Place trivet inside Instant Pot with dal; put a separate pot with rinsed basmati rice & ghee and water on top (pot-in-pot method).
- Cover rice pot with lid to prevent splatter, close Instant Pot lid and seal valve.
- Pressure cook on high for 6 minutes (add 2 if dal is not soaked well).
- Let pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then quick release remaining pressure.
- Remove rice pot carefully, fluff rice.
- Prepare tadka (tempering) separately: heat ghee, add cumin seeds, asafoetida, ginger garlic an dgreen chili paste, the spices again, dried red chilies, red chili powder; fry briefly.
- Pour hot tadka over cooked dal, garnish with chopped cilantro and optionally squeeze some lemon juice.
- Serve dal and rice hot together for a complete, flavorful meal.
Anvita’s Top Tip for Instant Pot Dal Tadka
- I’ve found that soaking the dals even for a short time makes them cook faster and creamier, and the flavors soak right in.
- Pour the tadka right before serving, it keeps the tempering’s smoky fragrance front and center.
How to serve Dal Tadka
My favorite way to enjoy Dal tadka is with Air Fryer Kurkuri Bhindi or Aloo Gobi , along with Lassi .
Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
| Mistake | Result | How to Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Skipping dal soaking | Grains stay hard, unevenly cooked | Soak for at least 30 minutes while prepping ingredients |
| Using only one dal | Flat or bland flavor | Mix toor, moong, masoor for real depth |
| Adding tadka too early | Aroma/flavor dulls, oily top | Add tadka after dal is fully done |
Final thoughts
Dal tadka is my go-to comfort food, it’s what I crave after having dals on rotation. My family loves it too. With just a bit of planning and the right tricks, you can nail this iconic, restaurant-style flavor in your own kitchen. Give it a shot and let me know how it turns out, trust me, your family will want seconds!
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
- Weeknight Onepot Sambar in 30 minutes
- Andhra Style Peanut Chutney | 3 flavors
- Fail-Proof Instant Rava Dosa (Crispy & Lacy)
- Soft Spongy Idlis using Idli Rava
Ingredients
For cooking the Dal
- 1 cup toor / arhar
- 1 cup yellow hulled mung dal
- 1 cup tomatoes diced
- ½ cup onions diced
- 3 tablespoon ghee / oil / butter
- 1 teaspoon asafoetida / hing
- 2 tablespoon ginger garlic green chili paste grated
- 1.5 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon dry mango powder / amchur
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves / kasuri methi
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- 3 cups water
Final Tempering
- 1 tablespoon ghee / oil / butter
- ½ teaspoon asafoetida / hing
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 whole dried red chillies
- ½ teaspoon red chilly powder
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
For Pot in Pot Rice
- 2 cups rice
- 3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon ghee
Instructions
- Rinse and soak the yellow dals (toor & moong dal) for about 30 minutes.
- Turn on Instant Pot in sauté mode; heat ghee or oil.
- Add the onions, ginger, garlic and green chili paste & spices and sauté until fragrant.
- Add chopped tomatoes and salt; cook until soft and the oil seperates
- Add soaked dal and water, stir.
- Place trivet inside Instant Pot with dal; put a separate pot with rinsed basmati rice & ghee and water on top (pot-in-pot method).
- Cover rice pot with lid to prevent splatter, close Instant Pot lid and seal valve.
- Pressure cook on high for 8 minutes (add 2 if dal is not soaked well).
- Let pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then quick release remaining pressure.
- Remove rice pot carefully, fluff rice.
- Prepare tadka (tempering) separately: heat ghee, add cumin seeds, asafoetida, ginger garlic an dgreen chili paste, the spices again, dried red chilies, red chili powder; fry briefly.
- Pour hot tadka over cooked dal, garnish with chopped cilantro and optionally squeeze some lemon juice.
- Serve dal and rice hot together for a complete, flavorful meal.
Video
Nutrition
Ingredients
For cooking the Dal
- 1 cup toor / arhar
- 1 cup yellow hulled mung dal
- 1 cup tomatoes diced
- ½ cup onions diced
- 3 tablespoon ghee / oil / butter
- 1 teaspoon asafoetida / hing
- 2 tablespoon ginger garlic green chili paste grated
- 1.5 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon dry mango powder / amchur
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves / kasuri methi
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- 3 cups water
Final Tempering
- 1 tablespoon ghee / oil / butter
- ½ teaspoon asafoetida / hing
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 whole dried red chillies
- ½ teaspoon red chilly powder
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
For Pot in Pot Rice
- 2 cups rice
- 3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon ghee
Instructions
- Rinse and soak the yellow dals (toor & moong dal) for about 30 minutes.
- Turn on Instant Pot in sauté mode; heat ghee or oil.
- Add the onions, ginger, garlic and green chili paste & spices and sauté until fragrant.
- Add chopped tomatoes and salt; cook until soft and the oil seperates
- Add soaked dal and water, stir.
- Place trivet inside Instant Pot with dal; put a separate pot with rinsed basmati rice & ghee and water on top (pot-in-pot method).
- Cover rice pot with lid to prevent splatter, close Instant Pot lid and seal valve.
- Pressure cook on high for 8 minutes (add 2 if dal is not soaked well).
- Let pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then quick release remaining pressure.
- Remove rice pot carefully, fluff rice.
- Prepare tadka (tempering) separately: heat ghee, add cumin seeds, asafoetida, ginger garlic an dgreen chili paste, the spices again, dried red chilies, red chili powder; fry briefly.
- Pour hot tadka over cooked dal, garnish with chopped cilantro and optionally squeeze some lemon juice.
- Serve dal and rice hot together for a complete, flavorful meal.
