Our Traditional Basic Tarka Recipe

A tarka is a delicious spice-flavored ghee, mostly used in dal dishes and in raitas. There are many recipes possible.

For this Basic Tarka recipe you need
1 tablespoon ghee
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 dried red chili ( crushed or whole )
½ teaspoon asafoetida powder
1 teaspoon cumin seeds

Basic Tarka Recipe
In a ladle or small frying pan, heat the ghee. Add the spices and saute for a few minutes, until well-toasted
and fragrant. Add the tarka to the dal dish and cover immediately with a tight-fitting lid. Allow to stand for a few minutes while the flavors blend.

VariationWhen making a moong bean dal, use the seeds of 1 black Cardamom pod, 2 whole cloves, and 1 teaspoon black cumin Seeds.

A tarka, or spice-flavored ghee, is prepared and added to a dish just before serving.
There are two popular types of tarkas: those made with garlic and dried red pepper, and those made
with cumin, cardamom, and cloves. Both contain a pinch of asafoetida powder. With moong dal,
the cumin seed tarka is usually used.

A tarka is usually part of a basic raita. Raitas or Yogurt salads are an ideal summer food because yogurt is cooling and has a regenerating effect on the system. In winter, yogurt's cooling effect can be balanced
with the help of warming spices, such as nutmeg, saffron, cinnamon, ginger or cloves.