Why it works: Cumin and turmeric match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,698 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Dal Fry
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the dal
Boil lentils in about 1-2 cups of water until they become soft. Add more water as required.
Make the tempering
Heat ghee in a pan.
Add asafoetida, cumin, and aniseeds. When they start to sizzle, add sliced onions and fry until slightly brown.
Add salt, chili powder, turmeric powder, green chillies, and tomatoes, and cook for 3-4 minutes until tomatoes dry up.
Combine and serve
Add the boiled dal with a little water, depending on consistency desired, and let it come to a boil.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 7 of 12 ingredients. The other 5 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Lentil | 1/2 cup cooked (99g) | 115 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Turmeric | 1 tsp ground (3g) | 9 |
| Cumin | 1 tsp ground (2.1g) | 8 |
| Chili | 1 tsp (2.7g) | 8 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Seed | not in our table | 0 |
| Asafoetida | not in our table | 0 |
| Coriander | not in our table | 0 |
| Ghee | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Cumin + turmerictop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,698 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Cumin + coriandertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,866 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Lentils + cumintop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together308 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Lentils + turmerictop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together267 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Turmeric + coriandertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,253 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Red masoor dal (red lentils)
- Breaks down into soft, thick body when boiled, forming the base of the dish.
- Ghee
- Carries the spices and gives the tempering a rich, fat-soluble flavour.
- Sliced onions
- Browning in the fat adds sweetness and savoury depth to the base.
- Chopped tomatoes
- Cooking down releases acidity and body, balancing the richness of the lentils.
- Cumin seeds
- Blooming in hot ghee releases aromatic compounds that flavour the whole dish.
The step that matters
Cooking the tomatoes until they dry up. Cooking tomatoes down concentrates their sugars and acids and removes excess water. If they stay wet, the tempering becomes diluted and the flavour stays flat and raw-tasting.
Swap the asafoetida
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (lentils, onion, tomato, cumin, turmeric, coriander, ghee):
- Cardamomfits better
- Garlicfits better
- Oreganofits better
- Asafoetidathe original
Fit is the average pairing score against lentils, onion, tomato, cumin, turmeric, coriander, ghee. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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