Easy Bengali Egg Tadka Recipe (2024)

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Published: · Modified: by Geetanjali · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

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Learn to make egg tadka recipe Bengali style with step-by-step photos and a guide. Egg tadka or dimer torka is a Bengali favorite recipe. Hot and spicy moong and chana dal with spices and scrambled egg is a true delight with a choice of tawa roti, tandoori roti, or rumali roti.

Easy Bengali Egg Tadka Recipe (1)

Tadka dal is a popular dhaba delicacy, especially in North And East Indian states. People simply call it 'tadka', which is basically a modified version of the Punjabi dal. Unlike other dals, it is prepared in gravy form and is inexpensive.

But In Bengal, the appeal of tadka is not limited to dhaba only. In Calcutta, you get tons of roadside restaurants and street vendors selling tarka-roti every day. Along with veg tadka and egg tadka, you will also find chicken tadka or mutton tadka in some places.

Making Bengali egg tadka at home is easy. This main dish recipe involves soaking and pressure cooking the dals followed by tempering them with spices, and then mixing scrambled eggs into the gravy.

Not fond of eggs, skip the egg, the plain version tastes equally good. You can also make it lighter or vegan by omitting butter. You can even use your choice of dals to make it more nutritious.

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  • Instructions (Step By Step)
  • To make it ahead
  • Serving Suggestions
  • Recipe Notes
  • More dal recipes:
  • Recipe
  • Comments

Instructions (Step By Step)

  • Wash and soak the dals together for 2-3 hours.
  • Wash again and take the dals in a pressure cooker along with salt, turmeric powder, and water. Pressure cook the dal for 3 whistles over low flame.
  • Once done, turn off the flame and allow the pressure to release on its own.
  • In the meantime, beat the egg along with a pinch of salt.
  • Heat a little oil in a pan. Once the oil turns hot, pour the beaten egg, wait for a few seconds then slowly stir it over medium flame until cooked.
  • Then transfer it to a plate and set it aside to use later.
  • Heat vegetable oil and butter in the same pan.
  • Add bay leaf and chopped onion. Fry until light golden brown.
  • Now add chopped ginger, garlic, and green chili. Sauté for 2 minutes or until fragrant.
Easy Bengali Egg Tadka Recipe (2)
  • Add turmeric and chili powder. Saute to mix.
  • Add chopped tomato, followed by salt. Saute until the tomato becomes soft and pulpy.
  • Add cumin powder and coriander powder. Saute for a minute.
  • Sprinkle a dash of water and saute until the masala releases oil.
  • Pour the boiled dal followed by the excess water into the tadka masala and let it boil over a medium flame for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add scrambled egg, along with kasuri methi powder (dried fenugreek leaves powder), and garam masala powder. Stir to mix. Cover and turn off the flame and allow it to rest for 5 minutes to combine the flavors.
  • Calcutta-style egg tadka is ready to serve. You can serve hot adding a dollop of butter on top.
Easy Bengali Egg Tadka Recipe (3)

To make it ahead

You can make the tadka masala ahead of time. Don't add dal and egg to it. Cool completely and refrigerate as needed in an airtight glass container. When you prefer to consume, heat the tadka masala, sprinkle a dash of water, and saute it for 2 minutes. You can use a little butter if you like. Then add the cooked dal, and scrambled egg, and cook for 2 minutes. Add garam masala powder, kasuri methi powder, and serve.

Serving Suggestions

  • Most of the time I pair egg tadka with plain roti. However, it goes well with all Indian breads. Like rumali roti, tandoor roti, paratha, lachha paratha, naan, butter naan, and so on.
  • It could be served with plain rice, basmati rice, or jeera rice as well.
  • If you plan for a simple Indian meal then tadka, roti, Kachumber salad, and plain sweet lassi go well together.

Recipe Notes

Dal: green moong dal and chana dal is a must. In addition, you could use your choice of dals as well.

Chili: Both green chilies and red chili powder are used for heat and flavor. You could reduce the amount or use non-spicy ones as well.

Kasuri methi powder has a more intense flavor than plain Kasuri methi. However, either one could be used. For Kasuri methi powder, dry roast Kasuri methi on a tawa or pan for a minute and transfer to a plate. Then once cool down crush with a hand to make a powder.

Garam masala powder - Homemade or storebought. Any garam masala powder would do the job.

Make sure not to add too much water. The gravy should not be very thick or thin.

Increase the quantities of dals and all ingredients, if serving more than three persons.

For plain tadka or veg tadka skip the egg.You can even skip butter for a lighter version.

More dal recipes:

  • Arhar Dal
  • Ghugni Recipe
  • Arhar Dal Palak

If you try this recipe, please take a moment to leave a comment and rating. I love hearing from you and it also helps other readers who are thinking of making the recipe.

Recipe

Easy Bengali Egg Tadka Recipe (4)

Easy Bengali Egg Tadka Recipe

A simple, flavorful, and extremely delicious gravy dish made with mixed dal and scrambled eggs.

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Course: Lunch, Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: Dimer torka, Egg tadka

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 234kcal

Author: Geetanjali

Ingredients

For cooking dal

  • ½ cup whole green moong dal
  • ¼ cup chana dal/Bengal gram dal
  • Salt
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 3 cups water

For scrambled egg

  • 1-2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon oil
  • 1 pinch salt

For tadka masala

  • 1 tablespoon oil (I used sunflower oil)
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 medium-sized onion finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon garlic finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ginger finely chopped
  • 1 green chili chopped
  • 1 large tomato chopped
  • Salt as required
  • 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder non-spicy
  • 1 pinch turmeric powder
  • ½ teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
  • 1 teaspoon kasuri methi powder (dried fenugreek leaves powder)

Instructions

Cooking the dal

  • Wash and soak the dals together for 2-3 hours.

  • Wash again and take the dals in a pressure cooker along with salt, turmeric powder, and water. Pressure cook the dal for 3 whistles over low flame.

  • Once done, turn off the flame and allow the pressure to release on its own.

Scrambling egg

  • In the meantime, beat the eggs along with a pinch of salt.

  • Heat a little oil in a pan. Once the oil turns hot, pour the beaten egg, wait for a few seconds, then slowly scramble it using a spatula.

  • Then transfer to a plate and set aside to use later.

Preparing tadka

  • Heat oil and butter in a pan.

  • Add bay leaf and chopped onion. Fry until light golden brown.

  • Now add chopped ginger, garlic, and green chili. Saute for 2 minutes or until fragrant.

  • Add turmeric and chili powder. Saute to mix.

  • Add chopped tomato, followed by salt. Saute until the tomato softens and pulpy.

  • Add cumin and coriander powder. Saute for a minute.

  • Sprinkle a dash of water and saute until the masala releases oil.

  • Pour cooked dal over the masala, stir it, and let it cook for about 2 minutes.

  • Add scrambled eggs along with Kasuri methi powder, and garam masala powder. Stir to mix, cover and turn off the flame. Allow it to rest for 5 minutes to combine all the flavors.

  • Calcutta style egg tadka is ready to serve. You can serve hot adding a dollop of butter on top. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Dal: green moong dal and chana dal is a must. In addition, you could use your choice of dals.
  • Chili: Both green chili and red chili powder are used for heat and flavor. You could reduce the amount or use non-spicy ones as well.
  • Kasuri methi powder has a more intense flavor than the plain Kasuri methi. However, either one could be used. For Kasuri methi powder, dry roast Kasuri methi on a tawa or pan for a minute and transfer to a plate. Then once cool down crush with a hand to make a powder.
  • Garam masala powder - Homemade or storebought. Any garam masala powder would do the job.
  • Make sure not to add too much water. The gravy should not be very thick or thin.
  • Increase the quantities of dals and all ingredients, if serving more than three persons.
  • For plain tadka or egg-free version skip the egg. You can even skip butter for a lighter option.

Nutrition

Calories: 234kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 113mg | Potassium: 159mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 607IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 2mg

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Easy Bengali Egg Tadka Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is egg tadka made of? ›

Soak tadka'r daal (green moong beans) and chhola'r daal (split Bengal gram) overnight. The next morning, drain them over a colander. Make a spice mix combining cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, kashmiri red chilli powder, and gorom moshla. Finely chop ginger, green chillies, onions, and coriander leaves.

What is tadka made of? ›

As we'll outline in more detail below, tadka (which is a noun and a verb in Hindi) is made when oil or a fat like ghee is heated in a pan, and dried spices (whole, crushed, or ground), other aromatics like garlic or fresh ginger, or leaves like those from a curry tree, are added and briefly warmed.

What is the Indian Tarka technique? ›

Tarka (also known as tadka, bagari or chownk) is an Indian cooking technique of tempering spices in oil. Tempering spices helps to add a layer of flavour and texture to many Indian dishes and curries. Whole or broken spices are quickly fried in hot oil to release their essential oils and flavour the cooking oil.

What is the Indian seasoning that tastes like eggs? ›

Kala namak (or black salt) is a sulphurous salt used in Indian cooking, and is what gives this seasoning its signature flavour. Kala namak can be found in the Asian section of most large grocery stores, or through online shops such as Amazon.

Can we eat dal and egg together? ›

Hi, Yes Ofcourse, you can have both...but if you have acidity problem, avoid to take both at a time... eat these separately at different time in a day..

What is a substitute for ghee in tadka? ›

Traditionally, the ingredients in tadka are cooked in ghee, or clarified butter, but oil can be used instead.

What is difference between Dal Fry and Dal Tadka? ›

What is the difference between dal fry and dal tadka? Dal fry is when you add cooked dal to the sautéed/ fried masala & simmered for a short time. Dal tadka is when you pour tadka (tempering) over cooked spiced dal & no further cooking is done.

Is ghee good for tadka? ›

However, according to a nutritionist, using desi ghee for tadka may not be wise. On Instagram, nutritionist Avantii Deshpaande explained why one must never cook vegetables or tadka in ghee. "I see a lot of people use ghee as tadka while preparing vegetables. As a nutritionist, I feel this is not advisable.

Which oil is best for tadka? ›

If you are preparing a dish that is regional to the state of Kerala, pick coconut oil. To master the art of tadka, follow these simple steps: Heat the Tadka Pan: Place your tadka pan on medium-high heat. Add the cooking oil, ghee, or butter of your choice.

Can we use olive oil for tadka? ›

Not only this, cooking on high heat with olive oil can release toxic smoke which contains compounds harmful to our health. So avoid using olive oil for Indian tadka, frying, etc. Some refined olive oils may claim that its fit for frying, etc.

Why do we put tadka in dal? ›

You can prepare the dal in a pressure cooker, Instant Pot, or simmer all in one pot for longer. What makes dal tadka especially flavorful is the base of aromatics, tomatoes, and spices, followed by the final tadka – a method for tempering spices, where the fat carries the aromas of the spices and transforms the dal.

What is tadka in English? ›

In English, tadka is known as “tempering.” It is the technique in which whole or ground spices are briefly roasted in oil or ghee (clarified butter) in order to release their essential oils, thus making their flavor more aromatic.

When to add curry leaves to tadka? ›

Mustard seeds, cumin and pepper are relatively burn-proof, so are added first, while fresh spices like garlic, ginger or curry leaves that burn quickly go towards the end.

Can mustard oil be used for tadka? ›

This tadka is always prepared in mustard oil. Make sure you heat mustard oil well enough before using it.

What is the difference between fry and tadka? ›

Dal fry: Itsboiled toor Daal/Arhar Daal which is fried with tomato and onion. Daal Tadka. Its boiled Arhar Dal, firstly fried with onion and tomato and then double fried or tadka with some cumin seed, dry red chilli, ghee and garam masala/khada masala.

What do you mean by tadka? ›

Tadka is the tempering. Usually, after a dish (particularly dal) has been prepared, some spices are tempered in a little ghee/oil and added at the top of the dish. Spices like cumin seeds and / or mustard seeds, heeng (asafoetida), dry red chillies are usually used in the tempering.

What are egg coddlers made of? ›

Egg Coddlers are manufactured in Royal Worcester fireproof hard porcelain. Porcelain is a true cookware material impervious to boiling water with excellent thermal shock resistance properties. During cooking the Egg Coddler should not be totally submerged in boiling water.

What is egg bhurji made of? ›

It is made basically by scrambling beaten eggs with sautéed onions, tomatoes, spices and herbs. This dish is very popular in all regions of India & even all over the Indian sub-continent. It is made slightly different in each region but the Indian basic version is similar to this Paneer bhurji.

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