This slow cooker yellow split pea dal with tadka shows just how much flavor you can get from a simple dish! It's a deliciously creamy stew topped with spices and golden-brown shallot fried in ghee. Just sauté the base, then let the slow cooker do most of the work. No need to spend hours standing over the stove.
The tadka adds an extra burst of warm spice just before serving and takes only a few minutes to make. Serve with white rice and naan, because you'll want to scoop up every last bit!
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Why I Make This Recipe
You can wake me up in the middle of the night for a bowl with Indian food. Just the smell of chicken tikka masala or butter chicken makes my mouth water. So the last time I had dal, I knew I wanted to make it at home. But I wanted an easy way to do it too.
I love good food, but I don't need to stand over a pan and stirring the whole time. That's why I chose the slow cooker. A quick sauté of the aromatics, then the yellow split peas can cook while I get on with something else. That works perfect for me.
What I love about this dal is its warm, spiced flavor. While the yellow split peas cook, I can do something else. Add some white rice and a good piece of naan, and dinner is ready.
What you Need
The full list of ingredients and quantities can be found on the recipe card. Below are some tips regarding a few of the ingredients.
Ingredients Dal
Ingredients Tadka
- Yellow split peas: These are the base of the dal and thicken it as they soften and break down. Use yellow split peas for this version. Chana dal, which you may also come across, is a different legume and this recipe won't fit exactly as it is.
- Ghee: Clarified butter that gives the dal and tadka a rich, buttery flavor. For the dal, you can use the sunflower oil and butter combination listed in the recipe card. Sunflower oil also works for the tadka, but you'll miss some of that lovely buttery flavor.
- Green chiles and red pepper flakes: Heat levels vary from pepper to pepper. Want a milder dal? Start with one green chile and remove the seeds. For a mild tadka, leave out the red pepper flakes.
- Cumin and black mustard seeds: Ground cumin goes into the dal. For the tadka, use whole cumin seeds and black mustard seeds, briefly fried in ghee.
- Garam masala: A spice blend that gives the dal a warm, fragrant aroma. Stir it in at the end.
- Lemon: The zest adds lemon fragrance, while the wedges let everyone add a little tang to taste. Zest only the yellow part of the peel, since the white pith can taste bitter.
How to Make Slow Cooker Dal
- Step 1: Rinse the split peas, soak for 1 hour, and drain. Sauté the chiles and onion in ghee, then add garlic, ginger, bay leaves, tomato, and ground cumin.
- Step 2: Transfer to the slow cooker with split peas, turmeric, salt, and water. Cover and cook on High for 4-5 hours or Low for 7-8 hours, until the peas fall apart easily.
- Step 3: Stir until creamy, adjusting the thickness with hot water or cooking uncovered. Remove bay leaves, stir in garam masala and lemon zest and taste for salt.
- Step 4: Cook the rice. Fry tadka seeds in ghee until popping, add shallot until golden, then red pepper flakes for 10-15 seconds; pour over the dal and serve with rice and garnishes.
Great with
Basmati rice and warm naan are all this really needs, but a cool contrast helps against the tadka: a simple cucumber-yogurt raita, or just plain yogurt on the side. A green vegetable makes it a full plate, spinach wilted in the pan you fried the tadka in takes two minutes. And if you like this hands-off way of cooking, it works the same way for my other slow cooker dinners.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I Need to Soak the Split Peas? Yes, soak them in cold water for 1 hour. If you skip this step, some may stay firm while the rest fall apart.
My Dal Is Too Thin or Too Thick. What Should I Do?
Too thin: leave the lid off and let it thicken on High for 20 to 30 minutes.
Too thick: stir in a splash of hot water. Almost no liquid evaporates in a slow cooker, so any excess liquid stays in the pot.
Can I Add Coconut Milk? You can, but you don't need to. The split peas themselves make this dal creamy. If you want to add coconut milk, stir it in after cooking.
Can I Make This with Red Lentils? That will give you a different dish: red lentils become completely soft in about an hour or two and turn into a smooth puree. Halve the cooking time, skip the soaking, and keep an eye on them.
Did you make this recipe?
So, how did it turn out? Tell me all about it (and a star rating would make my day.)
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RECIPE CARD
Recipe Help
Two easy tools to make cooking even easier. Cooking mode keeps the screen on. The easy-step recipe displays the recipe step by step, including the ingredients needed. And you can adjust servings easily
Ingredients
For the dal
- 9 ounces dried yellow split peas
- 2 tablespoons ghee, or 1 tablespoon sunflower oil and 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 green chiles, chopped, seeds and membranes removed for less heat if desired
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1¼ inch fresh ginger, finely grated
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tomato, finely diced
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups water
- ⅛ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
For the tadka
- 1½ tablespoons ghee, or 1 ½ tablespoon sunflower oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon chili flakes, omit for a milder dal
To serve
- 11 ounces basmati rice
- fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, to taste
- fried onions, to taste
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
Preparing the dal
- Rinse the split peas under cold running water. Soak in plenty of cold water for 1 hour, then drain.9 ounces dried yellow split peas
- Heat the ghee in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the green chiles for 1 minute.2 tablespoons ghee, 2 green chiles
- Add the onion and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until soft and translucent.1 onion
- Lower the heat slightly. Add the garlic, ginger, and bay leaves. Fry, while stirring, for 1 minute, until the garlic is fragrant.6 cloves garlic, 1¼ inch fresh ginger, 2 bay leaves
- Add the tomato and ground cumin. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the tomato is soft and almost falling apart.1 tomato, ½ teaspoon ground cumin
Stew dal
- Transfer the onion mixture to a 3.5-quart slow cooker (3.5 liter). Stir in the drained split peas, turmeric, salt, and water.½ teaspoon ground turmeric, ¾ teaspoon salt, 3 cups water
- Cover and cook on High for 4 to 5 hours or Low for 7 to 8 hours.
- Press a few split peas against the side of the slow cooker with a spoon. They should fall apart easily with no firm center. If they're still firm, continue cooking with the lid on and check again.
- Stir well until some of the split peas break down and the dal becomes creamy. Too thin? Leave the lid off and let it thicken on High, checking after 20 to 30 minutes. Too thick? Stir in a splash of hot water.
- Remove the bay leaves. Stir in the garam masala and lemon zest. Taste and add more salt as needed.⅛ teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Toward the end of the cooking time, cook the basmati rice according to the package directions.11 ounces basmati rice
Making and serving the tadka
- Have the tadka ingredients ready. Just before serving, heat the ghee in a small skillet over medium-high heat.1½ tablespoons ghee
- Briefly fry the cumin seeds and black mustard seeds until fragrant and the mustard seeds start to pop.1 teaspoon cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
- Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until the edges are golden brown. Lower the heat if the seeds darken quickly.1 shallot
- Add the chili flakes and cook for 10 to 15 seconds, then remove the pan from the heat.¼ teaspoon chili flakes
- Pour the hot tadka over the dal. Stir some of it through and leave the rest on top.
- Serve with basmati rice. Garnish with cilantro and crispy fried onions, and serve with the lemon wedges.fresh cilantro, fried onions, 1 lemon
Notes
- Refrigerating: Cool the dal quickly, for example by placing the pan in cold water and stirring regularly. Transfer to sealed containers and refrigerate at 4°C within 2 hours. Store for up to 2 days. Store the rice separately, following the same cooling and storage times.
- Freezing: Freeze the cooled dal in sealed, individual-portion containers for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.
- Reheat: The dal thickens as it cools. Reheat it in a saucepan, adding a splash of water as needed until creamy again. Stir regularly and heat until steaming hot throughout. Reheat only the portion you plan to eat. Do not reheat leftovers again once they have already been reheated.
Nutrition
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