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Tadka Dhal I

A lentil curry flavored with onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, spices, and a stock cube.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 14 ingredients
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Why it works: Clove and cardamom match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,114 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓

Tadka Dhal I

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Cook the ingredients in the order listed, giving the onions some time before adding everything else.

  2. Put the lid on and cook until the lentils are cooked to your preference.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

209Calories
12 gProtein
1 gFat
41 gCarbs

Counts 9 of 11 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Lentil1/2 cup cooked (99g)115
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Cardamom1 tsp ground (2g)6
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Mustard1 tsp (5g) yellow3
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Waternot in our table0
Seednot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

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.

  1. Clove + cardamomtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,114 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  2. Ginger + cardamomtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,114 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  3. Clove + gingertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,038 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  4. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  5. Garlic + tomatotop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,076 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Split red lentils
Break down as they cook, thickening the dal and giving it a soft, creamy texture.
Onions
Sweeten and build a deep flavour base as they soften and colour slowly.
Chopped tomatoes
Add acidity and moisture, helping form the sauce around the lentils.
Garlic
Adds pungent aroma that mellows and sweetens with gentle cooking.
Ginger
Adds warm, aromatic flavour that blends into the base as it cooks.
Mustard seed
Releases nutty aroma when heated in fat, adding a fragrant top note.

The step that matters

Give the onions time before adding everything else. Onions cooked slowly until soft and golden develop sweetness and depth. Rushing them leaves a raw, sharp taste that the rest of the dish cannot hide.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (clove, ginger, garlic, lentils, tomato, cardamom, pepper):

  1. Carrotfits better
  2. Spinachfits better
  3. Eggplantfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against clove, ginger, garlic, lentils, tomato, cardamom, pepper. 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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