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    Home » daal

    Caramelized Onion Dal

    Published: Jan 24, 2023 by Richa 13 Comments

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe

    This rich and creamy Caramelized Onion Dal is the perfect comfort food for a cold day! It is bursting with flavor from caramelized onions and whole spices which are tempered in oil! Serve with rice for a delicious Indian meal.

    a bowl with caramelized onion dal served alongside a side of rice and sprinkled with freshly chopped cilantro

    Coming at you with a simple lentil dal that is bursting with flavor. This is another dal that I just made one night when I was craving a light dal and rice meal.

    This caramelized onion dal is a creamy concoction of two types of lentils – red and yellow ones – which are cooked on the stove or using an Instant Pot and then simmered along with fragrant seasoned oil – tadka (tempering).

    a frying pan with caramelized onion dal sprinkled with chopped cilantro

    The caramelized onions add a whole bunch of umami flavor while the cumin and black pepper mixture added to the tempering provide some heat and a refreshing flavor!

    To take this dish to the next level of deliciousness we serve this lentil dish drizzled with another round of tempering. This second mix of whole spices fried in oil until sizzling and aromatic gets folded through the creamy dal just before serving

    Use whatever lentils you have on hand. I used a mix of yellow and red lentils. You can cook them on the stovetop or in the instant pot.

    creamy lentil dal sprinkled with cilantro served next to rice on a plate

    More daal recipes:

    Dhaba Style Butter Dal (vegan)

    Sabut Moong Dal  Creamy Green Mung Beans

    Vegan Handi Lentils (Creamy Indian Dal)

    Masoor Dal Tadka (Indian Split Red Lentil Dal)

    Spicy Urad Dal (Black Gram Lentil Dal)

    Print Recipe
    4.88 from 8 votes

    Caramelized Onion Tadka Dal

    This rich and creamy Caramelized Onion Dal is the perfect comfort food for a cold day! It is bursting with flavor from caramelized onions and whole spices which are tempered in oil! Serve with rice or flatbread for a delicious Indian meal. Glutenfree Soyfree Nutfree
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time17 mins
    Total Time37 mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Indian
    Keyword: dal recipes, lentil recipes vegan
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 217kcal
    Author: Vegan Richa

    Ingredients

    For the lentils:

    • 1/2 cup red lentils or masoor dal
    • 1/2 cup petite yellow lentils or moong dal (or you can use more red lentils)
    • 1 tomato chopped
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves optional
    • 3 cups water

    For the tempering spices:

    • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
    • 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns

    For the first tempering:

    • 2 teaspoons oil
    • 1 cup chopped onion
    • 3 cloves of garlic minced
    • 1/2 inch ginger minced
    • 1/2 hot green chili minced, I use serrano or Indian or Thai
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon garam masala
    • 5-6 curry leaves (fresh or dried or frozen)

    For the second tempering:

    • 1 teaspoon oil
    • The crushed spices from above

    Instructions

    • Cook the lentils; To cook the lentils in the instant pot, wash the lentils really well and drain. Add the to the instant pot with the rest of the ingredients and pressure cook for 7 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then open the lid.
    • To cook the lentils in a saucepan add the washed and drained lentils with all the ingredients for the lentils to a saucepan, partially covered, and cook. You might need to add 1/2 cup more water if the lentils thicken too much. Transfer the lentils to a serving dish.
    • For the tempering spices; add the cumin seeds and black peppercorns to a mortar and pestle and crush them. You can also use a spice grinder to make them into a coarse mixture and set them aside.
    • For the first tempering: heat the oil in a medium skillet, once hot, add half of the crushed cumin and peppercorn mixture then add the onion and a good pinch of salt and cook until the onion is translucent.(5-7 mins) Then add the garlic, ginger, green chili, and the rest of the salt and continue to cook until the onion is golden (2-4 mins). Add the garam masala and curry leaves and cook for another half a minute.
    • Add this caramelized onion mix to the cooked lentils. (Or add cooked lentils to the caramelized onion skillet). Gently stir but don’t mix completely. You want some clusters of caramelized onion throughout the dal.
    • Make the second tempering: Heat the oil in a small skillet, once hot add the remaining cumin seeds/ peppercorn mixture and cook until the mixture becomes fragrant. Then pour it over the dal/cooked lentils. Garnish it with cilantro and lemon juice.
    • Store in a closed container for upto 3 days. Freeze for upto a month.To make ahead: keep the tempering separate and heat and add just before serving

    Notes

    • Curry leaves: If you cannot find curry leaves , leave them out and add 2 bay leaves and lime juice
    • To make this without onion and garlic: use neutral veggies such as peeled and chopped zucchini, summer squash or opo squash(lauki) , or chopped celery or fennel instead of onion. Add a generous pinch asafetida or 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves as a substitute for garlic. 
    • Oilfree: sauté onion in broth. Dry toast the cumin pepper mixture on a dry skillet until fragrant and then use. 
     

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Caramelized Onion Tadka Dal
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 217 Calories from Fat 36
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 4g6%
    Saturated Fat 0.3g2%
    Sodium 471mg20%
    Potassium 586mg17%
    Carbohydrates 34g11%
    Fiber 15g63%
    Sugar 4g4%
    Protein 13g26%
    Vitamin A 330IU7%
    Vitamin C 36mg44%
    Calcium 58mg6%
    Iron 4mg22%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Indian Caramelized Onion Dal served in a bowl along with rice
    Ingredients:

    • For the lentils, I used a mix of red lentils and yellow lentils(masoor dal and moong dal). You can use all red or all yellow or any lentils you have on hand
    •  fresh tomato adds acidity and sweetness
    • spices: For the tempering, we fry crushed cumin seeds and black peppercorn in some oil then add garam masala
    • as with most daal recipes, fresh ginger, garlic, and chili are added to the tempering after the whole spices
    • curry leaves add a nutty and earthy flavor to this daal – use dry or fresh or frozen

    Tips & Substitutions:

    • If you cannot find curry leaves , leave them out and add 2 bay leaves and lime juice
    • To make this without onion and garlic: use neutral veggies such as peeled and chopped zucchini, summer squash or opo squash(lauki) , or chopped celery or fennel instead of onion. Add a generous pinch asafetida or 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves as a substitute for garlic.

    ingredients for making caramelized onion dal on a marble countertop

    How to make caramelized onion dal:

    Cook the lentils: To cook the lentils in the instant pot, wash the lentils really well and drain. Add the to the instant pot with the rest of the ingredients and pressure cook for 7 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then open the lid.

    cooked lentils being poured into caramelized onion tadka

    To cook the lentils in a saucepan add the washed and drained lentils with all the ingredients for the lentils to a saucepan, partially cover, and cook. You might need to add 1/2 cup more water if the lentils thicken too much.

    cumin and peppercorn in a marble mortar

    For the tempering spices; add the cumin seeds and black peppercorns to a mortar and pestle and crush them. You can also use a spice grinder to turn them into a coarse mixture and set them aside.


    a sauteeing pan with oil with some cumin and crushed pepperflakes

    minced onion sauteeing in a bit of oil in a sauteeing pan

    For the first tempering, heat the oil in a medium skillet. Once hot, add half of the crushed cumin and peppercorn mixture then add the onion and a good pinch of salt and cook until the onion is translucent.

    caramelized onion in a sauteein pan

    Then add the garlic, ginger, green chili, and the rest of the salt and continue to cook until the onion is golden. Add the garam masala and curry leaves and cook for another half a minute or so.

    minced ginger and green chili along with caramelized onions sauteeing in a frying pan

    onion and chili in a sauteeing pan

    Transfer the cooked lentils to a serving bowl.  add this onion mixture to the lentils. (Or transfer cooked lentils to the skillet with the onions). Gently stir but don’t mix the onions in completely.

    tempering being added to dal in a saucepan

    Make the second tempering: Heat the oil in a small skillet, once hot add the remaining cumin seeds/ peppercorn mixture and cook until the mixture becomes fragrant. Then pour it over the dal/cooked lentils. Garnish it with cilantro and lemon juice.

     cumin peppercorn final tempering for dal

    tempered oil being poured over a pan with yellow lentil dal

    Storage:

    Store in a closed container for upto 3 days. Freeze for up to a month. To make ahead: keep the tempering separate and heat and add just before serving

    dal served next to white rice in a shallow bowl

    What to serve with this caramelized onion dal

    Serve with flatbread, roti , naan or with rice. and a side or cauliflower potatoes, crispy cumin potatoes or green bean carrots. and a side salad-  Kachumber Salad.

    a sauteeing pan with dal topped with chopped cilantro

     

     

     

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    1. Alex

      February 05, 2023 at 4:40 pm

      5 stars
      So delicious and easy! Thank you!!

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        February 06, 2023 at 12:02 pm

        Glad you enjoy. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Neeta Renner

      January 28, 2023 at 8:59 am

      5 stars
      Best.dal.I.have.ever.made!

      Thank you, Richa!!

      Reply
      • Richa

        January 29, 2023 at 1:33 pm

        ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

        Reply
    3. Annie

      January 26, 2023 at 12:47 pm

      4 stars
      I found this a bit disappointing, to be honest. There wasn’t that much depth of flavour and I ended up adding about a tsp (I cooked half the recipe) of tamarind paste, to dissipate a certain bitterness. Of course, Richa’s Indian recipes are usually fabulous: some have to be less so!

      Reply
      • Richa

        January 26, 2023 at 2:50 pm

        No worries. It is a super flavorful everyday Dal. Maybe it just needs a bit more salt and Garam masala for you? Salt brings out all the flavors, which otherwise might seem bland. Also age of spices matter. My garam masala and cumin are usually fresh and I’ve tried store versions before which have had like a fourth or less flavor payoff compared to the fresh ones

        Reply
    4. Jack

      January 25, 2023 at 7:04 pm

      5 stars
      Dal is my comforting and a very delicious dish I’ve ever known, and this recipe for Caramelized Onion Dal is sure to be a hit! With the perfect blend of spices, this dish is sure to have your taste buds tingling. Loved your recipe!!

      – Jack from Skilletguy.com

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        January 26, 2023 at 1:00 pm

        Thank you, Jack.

        Reply
    5. Maneesha

      January 25, 2023 at 7:26 am

      5 stars
      Amaaaaazing! I used 50/50 red Masoor and yellow mung daal, and this turned out so well!! Thank you so much for your innovative recipes, Richa!

      Reply
      • Richa

        January 25, 2023 at 2:10 pm

        Awesome!!

        Reply
    6. Julia

      January 24, 2023 at 10:27 am

      Looks delicious! Are there instructions for how many onions and how to caramelize them?

      Reply
      • Julia

        January 24, 2023 at 10:28 am

        Oops! I see it now. 🙂

        Reply
        • Richa

          January 25, 2023 at 2:12 pm

          🙂

          Reply

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