Dal Tadka — India

Dal Tadka is a dish of split lentils, most often toor or a mix of toor and moong dal, simmered until soft and then finished with a tadka — a small measure of ghee or oil heated with whole and ground spices and poured sizzling over the cooked lentils just before the dish reaches the table. It is reported across India, where dal in its many forms is a near-daily dish and the tadka finish marks it out from a plainly boiled lentil pot; the exact spices in the tempering shift from household to household and region to region, though cumin, garlic and dried chili appear in most versions. The lentils are rinsed, boiled with turmeric and a little salt until they break down into a thick, spoonable mass, then loosened with water to the desired consistency. Separately, ghee is heated in a small pan, cumin seeds and sliced garlic are added until they color and turn fragrant, and dried red chili, asafoetida and sometimes chopped tomato or onion join them before the whole mixture is tipped over the pot of lentils. What sets this version apart is the timing of the tadka: it is poured over the dal at the table rather than stirred in during cooking, so the tempering keeps its sizzle and its more pronounced garlic and cumin aroma on top, rather than settling evenly through a dal cooked with the spices from the start.