Caramelized Onion Dal

Published: Jan 24, 2023 · Modified: Aug 15, 2023 by Richa 31 Comments

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.

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 (called tempering).

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. For all kind of Indian lentils with their names and pictures see my post here.

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)

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4.94 from 15 votes

Caramelized Onion Tadka Dal

Prep Time20

Cook Time17

Total Time37

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 tadka/ tempering spices:

1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns

For the first tadka/ 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 tadka/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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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More daal recipes:

Recipe Card

Caramelized Onion Tadka Dal

Ingredients

For the lentils:

For the tadka/ tempering spices:

For the first tadka/ tempering:

For the second tadka/tempering:

Instructions

Notes

Nutrition

Tips & Substitutions:

How to make caramelized onion dal:

Storage:

What to serve with this caramelized onion dal

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