ANDA DAL TADKA / ANDA TADKA

Anda Dal Tadka or Anda Tadka (as it is known) is a widely popular Indian roadside dhaba style dal preparation, made with lentils cooked in aromatic masala and served with egg bhurjee or scrambled eggs on it or mixed with it. 

Anda Dal Tadka is a famous dish all over India and you’ll find that most restaurants / dhabas have their own form of this dal recipe. The lentils used in this recipe is mostly whole green gram/green mung or whole black gram /Urad Dal along with Bengal gram/Chana Dal. Some also use a mix of both Mung and Urad. You can add Rajma or Kidney beans to give it an authentic Punjabi taste. 

It is healthy, comforting and extremely delicious recipe. Simple to get ready at home, one can have this as main dish recipe during their lunch or dinner hours. The creamy texture and the spice levels in this luxurious dish makes it an ideal meal to be delighted in with your family over the weekend along with hot steamed rice or jeera rice. It even tastes delicious with flatbreads such as tawa paratha, laccha paratha, naan, phulka, khamiri roti, kulchas, tandoori roti or garlic naan. This recipe would surely be the liking of everyone in your house.

Let’s check out the step by step method of making the delicious Egg Dal Tadka.

INGREDIENTS:

• Black Gram (Urad Dal) - 3/4 cup
• Bengal Gram (Chana Dal) - 1/4 cup
• Kidney Beans (Rajma) - 1/4 cup
• Green Gram (Mung dal) - 1/2 cup
• Ginger - 1 inch, thinly sliced
• Ghee or Butter - 3 tablespoons
• Cinnamon Stick - 1 inch
• Cloves - 2
• Cardamom - 1, crushed
• Bay leaves - 2
• Cumin seeds - 2 teaspoons
• Dry red chillies - 2-3 pieces
• Green chillies - 2, sliced
• Ginger garlic paste - 2 tablespoons 
• Onion - 2, large, Chopped
• Tomato - 2, medium, Chopped
• Garam masala powder - 2 teaspoons
• Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon or as per taste
• Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
• Coriander powder - 2 teaspoons
• Yoghurt - 1/4 cup, whisked
• Dried Fenugreek leaves (Kasuri Methi) - 1 tablespoon
• Eggs - 4
• Fresh coriander leaves - A handful, chopped
• Salt - To taste
• Water - As required

PROCEDURE:

1. Wash the dals well and soak together in enough water for 3-4 hours. Then pressure cook it with 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder, some sliced ginger, salt and  2 cups of water till well cooked. Keep aside.
2. In a separate pan, heat 2 tablespoons ghee or butter. Once hot, add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and cloves. Allow the aroma to be released for a few seconds. Then add cumin seeds, dry red chillies and bay leaves.
3. Once cumin splutter, add the sliced green chillies, chopped onions and fry till onions are transparent. Now add the ginger garlic paste and cook till the raw smell goes away.
4. Now add the tomatoes, turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt and red chilli powder and cook till the tomatoes turn mushy . Now add the yogurt, mix well and fry till the masala starts leaving oil in the sides and turns a nice dark colour.
5. At this point add the boiled dal, Garam masala powder and kasuri Methi to the fried Masala and adjust the salt according to your taste. Let the lentils or Dal cook for 10- 15 minutes in low flame, stirring in between.
6. Meanwhile beat the 4 eggs with salt to taste, scramble the eggs in a pan with little oil till cooked. Mix the egg bhurjee with the dal and keep a little for garnishing. 
7. Add 1 tablespoon ghee on the top and mix everything well. The egg dal tadka is now ready.
8. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot, garnished with chopped coriander leaves, sliced ginger and rest of the scrambled eggs with a dollop of butter and a slice of lemon.

NOTE:

• This delicious Dal is made with the combination of Dals. You can use any dal combination of your choice.
• One special ingredient that is added is kasoori methi. Do not skip this as it give a beautiful flavour to the dish.
• Before transferring to the serving bowl, you can add a tempering for the second time with cumin seeds, hing, dry red chillies in ghee. The double tadka really does add a lot of flavor and aroma to the dal.
• The dal tadka that we taste at the dhabas or restaurants have a very distinct smoky flavor. That is because they are made on a wood fire. You can also give a smoky taste to the dal at home by giving dhungar to it. For adding smoke flavour to dal, heat a piece of coal until red. Keep a bowl in the centre of the dal and keep this hot coal piece in the bowl. Drizzle a tsp of oil over the coal and immediately close the lid of the pan.Let the dal absorb the smoke for 10-15 minutes. Open the lid and discard the coal. Your smoky dal is ready.

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