Dal — Lentils, Pressure-Cooking & a Finishing Tadka

Indian Cookery

Chapter 6 · Dal: Lentils, Pressure-Cooking & a Finishing Tadka

Dal is lentils cooked down to a soft, thick, almost porridge-like consistency — and it's also the one dish in this course where the tempering technique from Chapter 3 shows up in its purest, most recognisable form: a small pan of sizzling spiced oil poured directly over the finished pot.

Which Lentil, and How It Cooks

Chapter 1 introduced the four lentil varieties this course draws on most. They don't all behave the same way in the pot:

LentilSoak first?Cooking time
Masoor dal (red lentil)NoQuick — breaks down easily
Moong dal (split mung)NoQuick
Toor/arhar dal (pigeon pea)Optional, helpsLonger — needs more time to soften fully
Chana dal (split chickpea)Yes, ideally 1-2 hoursLongest — genuinely benefits from soaking

Washing before cooking

Rinse lentils in a few changes of water until the water runs mostly clear, rather than cloudy. This removes surface starch that would otherwise foam up aggressively once the pot comes to a boil — especially with a pressure cooker, where excess foam can genuinely clog the pressure valve.

Cooking: Pressure Cooker or Stovetop

A pressure cooker is the traditional, genuinely faster way to cook dal — but simmering on the stovetop works too, just with more time and more attention.

MethodRatioReal signal for doneness
Pressure cookerRoughly 1 part lentils to 3 parts waterA set number of whistles (or an equivalent time/pressure setting) — masoor/moong need only 2-3, toor and chana need considerably more
StovetopSame starting ratio, topped up with hot water as it reducesLentils fully soft and starting to fall apart when pressed against the side of the pot
"Whistles" is a real, practical signal — not a fixed number A traditional stovetop pressure cooker signals doneness by the number of whistles the valve makes. A modern electric pressure cooker doesn't whistle the same way, so the equivalent is simply cooking at pressure for roughly the same real time that number of whistles would take — the whistle count is a practical proxy for elapsed cooking time under pressure, not a magic number in itself.

On the stovetop, simmer uncovered or partially covered, stirring occasionally and topping up with hot water if the pot starts to look dry before the lentils are fully soft — dal that runs out of liquid partway through cooking will scorch on the bottom rather than finish softening evenly.

Mashing to the right consistency

Once cooked, dal is typically mashed further with the back of a ladle or a whisk, right in the pot, to break down any lentils that are still holding their shape and bring the whole pot to a smooth, thickened consistency. Add a splash of hot water to loosen it if it's thicker than you want, or continue simmering uncovered to reduce it further if it's too thin.

The Finishing Tadka

Chapter 3 covered the tadka technique two ways — as a base-starting step, and as a finish poured on at the end. Dal is the dish where the finishing use is most traditional and most recognisable: a small separate pan of ghee, heated until shimmering, with cumin seeds, dried red chili, sliced garlic, and a pinch of asafoetida (hing) bloomed briefly until fragrant — then poured, still sizzling, directly over the finished pot of dal.

  1. Cook the dal fully first Have the dal fully cooked, mashed, and at the consistency you want before starting the tadka — the tadka is the very last step, not something to prepare in advance and hold.
  2. Heat ghee in a small separate pan Heat a couple of tablespoons of ghee in a small pan until it shimmers.
  3. Bloom the tempering spices Add cumin seeds first, then dried red chili, sliced garlic, and a pinch of asafoetida, swirling until fragrant — a matter of seconds, the same window Chapter 3 covered.
  4. Pour it over the dal while it's still sizzling Pour the whole pan, oil and spices together, directly over the surface of the dal. It should genuinely sizzle audibly on contact.
Poured on top, not stirred in beforehand A tadka added to the pot early and simmered along with everything else loses exactly the sharp, fresh aromatic quality that makes it worth doing at all — the same principle Chapter 5 already established for garam masala's own late timing, now applied to whole tempering spices instead of a ground blend.

Kitchen Practice

Kitchen Practice 1
Cook a full dal from scratch — wash, cook by pressure cooker or stovetop, mash to a smooth consistency, and finish with a poured tadka.
→ Solution
Kitchen Practice 2
Cook two small batches of the same lentil, one soaked in advance and one not, and compare the cooking time each needs to reach the same soft consistency.
→ Solution
Kitchen Practice 3
Split a finished pot of dal and finish it two ways — one with the tadka stirred in and simmered briefly, one with the tadka poured on top just before serving — and compare the aroma of each.
→ Solution

Quick Reference — Dal

  • Rinse lentils until the water runs mostly clear before cooking
  • Masoor and moong cook quickly with no soak; toor benefits from soaking; chana genuinely needs it
  • "Whistles" on a pressure cooker are a practical proxy for cooking time under pressure, not a fixed universal number
  • Mash the cooked lentils to your preferred consistency, loosening with hot water if needed
  • The finishing tadka is cooked separately and poured on, sizzling, right before serving — never stirred in early
Next — Chapter 7: Yogurt Marination & Dry-Heat Cooking (Tandoori-Style)
Yogurt's real tenderizing chemistry, and a home oven-broiler substitute for a tandoor.