Dal Tadka

How to make it

1. Rinse the toor dal in several changes of cold water until the water runs almost clear. Then soak it in plenty of cold water for 30 minutes, so the lentils cook out evenly and don't stay floury in the center. ⏱ 30 min · passive
2. Drain off the soaking water, and put the drained dal in a pot with 9 dl fresh water, turmeric and salt. Bring it to a boil over high heat, and skim off the gray foam with a spoon until the surface is clean and yellow. ⏱ 8 min–10 min
3. Reduce the heat to low and set the lid half on, so the dal simmers gently for about 40 minutes. It's ready when the lentils have fallen apart, and a spoon drawn through the pot leaves a trail for a moment. ⏱ 40 min · passive
   Chef's tip Half a lid, not a full one: dal foams up hard and boils over within seconds at a rolling simmer. Keep the surface at a lazy blip, with bubbles breaking one at a time.
4. Mash the dal against the side of the pot with the back of a spoon, until about half is creamy and the rest still holds whole lentils. The half-mashed consistency is the classic one: the dal should flow thick and slow off the spoon, never be a purée. Thin with a couple of tablespoons of boiling water if it has gotten stiff.
5. Rinse the basmati rice in cold water until the water is no longer milky, and put it in another pot with 7 dl water and salt. Bring it to a boil over high heat.
6. Put the lid on, and reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Let the rice steam for 12 minutes without lifting the lid, since every time steam escapes, the grains cook unevenly. ⏱ 10 min · passive
   Chef's tip Use a heavy-bottomed pot, or set a diffuser underneath — on a thin base the bottom grains scorch long before the top ones are done. Listen: when the hissing dies down, the water has been absorbed.
7. Take the rice pot off the heat and let it stand covered for 5 minutes. Then loosen the rice gently with a fork, so the grains stay whole and separate. ⏱ 5 min · passive
8. Heat ghee in a small pan over medium-high heat, and add the cumin seeds, asafoetida and the whole dried chilies. Fry it for about 1 minute, until the seeds sizzle up in the fat and smell nutty.
   Chef's tip The ghee must be hot enough that a single cumin seed sizzles on contact, or the spices steep instead of toasting. Asafoetida burns in seconds — the moment the seeds smell nutty, the onion goes in.
9. Add the finely chopped onion and fry it for 6-8 minutes, until it's soft all the way through and golden brown at the edges.
10. Stir in the garlic, grated ginger and the split green chili, and fry it for 1-2 minutes, until the raw, sharp smell is gone and the garlic just barely takes on color.
11. Add the diced tomato, the Kashmiri chili powder and the salt, and fry it, stirring, for 5-6 minutes. The mixture is done when the tomatoes have completely collapsed, and the ghee separates out in clear beads along the edge.
    Chef's tip Ghee beading out at the edge is the classic sign the masala is cooked through — until then the tomato still tastes raw and sharp. Kashmiri chili gives colour more than heat, and scorches quickly, so keep it moving.
12. Pour two-thirds of the hot tadka into the dal, and hold the pan a little away from you, since it sputters when the fat hits. Stir it in along with the garam masala, and let the dal simmer for 2-3 minutes, until the color is an even golden-red. Season to taste with lemon juice and more salt if needed.
    Chef's tip Garam masala goes in at the end because its aromatics are volatile and fade with long cooking. Add the lemon off the boil and taste twice — acid can read as "needs salt" and vice versa.
13. Ladle the half-mashed dal into deep bowls, and pour the rest of the tadka over, so it sits as a red streak on the surface. Sprinkle the roughly chopped cilantro over. Put the rice on the table in its own bowl. Then everyone serves themselves rice onto their plate and mixes in a little dal at a time, mouthful by mouthful.