Tracing the history of Tadka Dal in India

Dal is the ultimate comfort food that unites all of us. Indians have a special connection with dal and that makes it a staple dish of every household. Be it moong, masoor, chana, toor, there is a large variety of dals available to us. But do you know that the classic Tadka Dal that we relish today was actually served for the very first time back in 303 BC, that too at a wedding? Read on to know about the interesting origins of our beloved dal. (all image credits-istock)

Tadka Dal is a simple dish but is heavenly in taste. It is usually made by mixing either moong and masoor dal or toor dal. The dal is first pressure cooked with turmeric and salt. Some people also add tomato while cooking the dal. Spices like coriander powder add to taste. The boiled dal is then added to a serving bowl. After this, a tempering is added on top. In North India, the tempering consists of hing, jeera, green chilli, ginger and garlic. In South India, the tempering consists of dry red chilli, mustard seeds, curry leaves and garlic.

Dal might be a household dish now but it was considered a special celebratory dish back in time. It is said that Tadka Dal was first served in a feast to wedding guests at Chandragupta Maurya’s wedding in 303 BC.

Panchmel Dal was a popular dal among the Mughals and was cooked and served with great enthusiasm. Panchmel Dal is a mix of five types of lentils like moong dal, chana dal, toor dal, masoor dal and urad dal. It is said that Panchmel Dal was Jodha Bai’s favourite, as she was a vegetarian and this dal was readily available in the predominantly non-vegetarian Mughal kitchen.

Even Aurangzeb was a strict vegetarian and consumed Panchmel Dal on a regular basis.

The very first mention of Panchmel Dal is found in the Mahabharata. The story goes like this- Bhim was hiding out as a cook in King Virat’s kitchen. At that time, he created a mix of five dals and slow-cooked them to make the first-ever Panchratna Dal. The dals were cooked in an earthen pot and then garnished with ghee.

Ingredients required- ½ cup moong yellow dal, ½ cup masoor dal, 1 tomato, ¼ tsp hing, ½ tsp jeera, 1 green chilli, 3 garlic cloves, 1-inch ginger, ½ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp coriander powder, 2 tbsp ghee and salt as per taste.

1. Add moong and masoor dal to a bowl. Wash very well and transfer to a cooker.
2. Add 2 cups of water along with chopped tomato, turmeric, coriander powder and salt.
3. Pressure cook the dal for 3 whistles.
4. Let the pressure release on its own.
5. Now for the tempering, heat ghee in a tadka pan.
6. Add hing, cumin seeds, slit green chilli, minced garlic and finely chopped ginger.
7. Let them splutter for 20-30 seconds.
8. Now pour this tempering on the dal and close it with a lid to let the dal absorb all the flavours.

For scrumptious recipes, videos and exciting food news, subscribe to our free Daily and Weekly Newsletters.