D02 · Dinner · Delhi and wider North India
Dhaba Dal Tadka (Mixed Dals)
The highway dhaba favourite: toor, masoor and chana dals cooked soft and finished with a smoky double tadka of ghee, garlic and dried red chillies.
- Region
- Delhi and wider North India
- Diet
- Strictly vegetarian, egg-free
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Time, as written
- Soak 30 min · Prep 10 min · Cook 30 min
- Serves
- 3
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Status
- Traditional
- Good for
- Everyday dinner, batch cooking
Nutrition
Good source| Per serving | kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Sat fat | Fibre | Sugars | Protein per 100 kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dal tadka only (about 280 ml) | 235 | 13 g | 33 g | 5 g | 3 g | 8 g | 4 g | 5.5 g |
| Dinner plate: dal, 1 roti, 150 g cucumber raita | 450 | 22 g | 64 g | 10 g | 6 g | 13 g | 11 g | 5.0 g |
Headline figures are for the full plate as served, with its stated roti, rice or bhakri; the dish alone is shown in the table.
Tier: Good source (plate); the dish alone is High protein. Plate density is just under 5 g per 100 kcal before rounding. Values checked against IFCT 2017 on 14 Oct 2026.
Values are estimates calculated from the listed ingredients and quantities (IFCT 2017 and product labels), not laboratory measurements. How the numbers were calculated.
Ingredients
Tadka
Plate
Method
Soak the dals together 30 minutes. Pressure-cook with turmeric, salt and 700 ml water for 4 whistles. Whisk lightly; it should be creamy but not smooth.
Heat half the ghee; cook onion 5 minutes until golden. Add ginger-garlic paste, chillies and tomato; cook 5 minutes until soft. Add to the dal and simmer 8 minutes.
For the final tadka, heat the remaining ghee until hot. Add cumin, garlic, red chillies and hing; when the garlic turns golden, take the pan off the heat and add chilli powder, garam masala and kasuri methi.
Pour the tadka over the dal at the table. Serve with roti and raita.
Protein optimisation
- Where the protein comes from
- The three dals supply 12 g per serving; roti 4 g and raita 5.5 g on the plate.
- Boost
- Use hung curd for the raita (+4 g protein, +50 kcal per serving), which lifts the plate to High protein.
Variations, serving and storage
- Regional
- Dal fry — omit the second tadka and cook the dal thicker, with more onion and tomato.
- Smoky dhungar method
- Place a hot piece of charcoal in a small steel bowl on the dal, pour ½ tsp ghee on it, and cover for 2 minutes.
- Storage
- 3 days refrigerated; freezes 2 months.
- Food safety
- Reheat until boiling.
- Meal prep
- Excellent.
Allergens
Milk (ghee, raita); gluten (roti)
Labels: Good source · High fibre · Soy-free · Whey-free · No added sugar · Meal-prep friendly