Soups & Stews

Serving

Tarka Dal (Spiced Lentil Stew)

Name: Tarka Dal (Spiced Lentil Stew)
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Soups & Stews
Ingredients: 1.5 cups red lentils, rinsed; 5 cups water; 1 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 teaspoon salt; 3 tablespoons ghee; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated; 2 green chilies, slit; 2 medium tomatoes, chopped; 1 teaspoon ground coriander; 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder; 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

A comforting Indian lentil stew finished with a sizzling tempered tarka of ghee, cumin, and garlic.

55 minutes

Serves 4

Dinner

19 min prep

30 min cook

Contains common allergens

Dairy

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Instructions

6 steps

1
Combine the red lentils, water, turmeric, and salt in a pot, then bring to a boil and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until the lentils break down and soften, skimming any foam.
2
Heat the ghee in a separate pan over medium heat and add the cumin seeds, letting them sizzle for a few seconds.
3
Add the onion to the pan and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until golden, then stir in the garlic, ginger, and green chilies and cook for 1 minute.
4
Add the chopped tomatoes, ground coriander, and chili powder and cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes break down into a thick masala.
5
Pour the tarka into the cooked lentils and stir to combine, simmering for 5 more minutes and adjusting the consistency with water if needed.
6
Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve hot with rice or flatbread.

Tarka Dal (Spiced Lentil Stew) — plated and served — Serving moment. How Tarka Dal (Spiced Lentil Stew) looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

61/100

Works for many families

Allergen-friendly 90

Kid-friendly 27

Weeknight-easy 52

Budget-friendly 78

Great leftovers 87

Pantry-friendly 24

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

205

Calories

8 g

Protein

22 g

Carbs

10 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Tarka dal takes its name from the tarka, or tadka, the technique of frying whole spices and aromatics briefly in hot ghee and pouring the sizzling mixture over an otherwise plain-cooked dal right before serving. The lentils themselves cook simply with just turmeric and salt, leaving the tarka to do all the work of building the dish's final layer of flavor.

Listahan note

This version keeps the lentils cooking plain with just turmeric and salt until fully soft, saving the tarka as a completely separate step finished in ghee at the very end, since combining the spices into the lentils from the start would mute the sharp, toasted flavor the hot ghee pour is meant to deliver.

Technique cues

Simmer the rinsed red lentils with turmeric and salt in plenty of water until they break down completely into a soft, thick puree, skimming any foam that rises to the surface in the first few minutes of cooking.
Prepare the tarka separately in a small pan, heating the ghee until it shimmers before adding whole spices, watching closely since they can go from fragrant to burnt within seconds in hot fat.
Add ingredients to the tarka in order of how long they take to cook — tougher spices like cumin seeds first, followed by more delicate additions like garlic or dried chilies, so nothing scorches while something else is still raw.
Pour the finished tarka over the cooked dal immediately while it's still sizzling, rather than letting it cool in the pan first, since the audible sizzle and immediate aroma are part of what the technique is meant to deliver.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Prep any side dishes while Tarka Dal (Spiced Lentil Stew) finishes with the red chili powder — the hands-off cook time is the window to use. The simmer step is what sets the pace here.
Make-ahead: Tarka Dal (Spiced Lentil Stew) reheats well, so cooking it a day ahead and finishing it just before serving is a reasonable way to spread out the work. This one leans on the red chili powder. Everything else is quick — the simmer is the one step that takes real time.
Leftover move: Leftover Tarka Dal (Spiced Lentil Stew) reheats well covered on the stove or in the oven with a splash of liquid; avoid the microwave, which can dry out a dish reheated this way faster than a covered, gentler reheat. This one leans on the red chili powder. Everything else is quick — the simmer is the one step that takes real time.
Cleanup rhythm: Deglaze the pan used for Tarka Dal (Spiced Lentil Stew) with a splash of water or broth right after cooking — it lifts the browned bits before they dry on and saves scrubbing later. This one leans on the red chili powder. Plan around the simmer; that's the slow part.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

1.5 cups red lentils, rinsed

Main protein or body

Purpose: cups red lentils, rinsed gives Tarka Dal (Spiced Lentil Stew) its main substance and carries the seasoning.

Handling: Rinse, soak, whisk, or separate as the recipe requires so the texture stays clean.