If you’ve ever eaten at a roadside Kolkata dhaba, chances are you’ve tasted the legendary Bengali Egg Tadka Dal — a smoky, spicy, and protein-packed lentil curry enriched with scrambled eggs. Egg Tadka or Torka is a wholesome meal that you can even enjoy vegetarian by skipping the egg.
What is Bengali Egg Tadka Dal?
Egg Tadka Dal also referred to as Dimer Torka or Anda Tadka, is a popular Bengali street food where cooked lentils (dal) are tossed with a masala base of onions, tomatoes, ginger-garlic, and spices, then mixed with whisked eggs.
Add a dollop of butter and enjoy it with your choice of paratha, roti or Naan. This dhaba style rich lentil-based dish is hearty and comforting!
Ingredients you need for Egg Tadka/Torka
Beans and Lentils - Green Mung Beans are a must, which is sometime mixed with split Black Gram (Urad Daal) or Chana Daal. If you are used to cooking different variety of dal you will realize that each gives a different texture.
Garlic, ginger and chili paste - You will need the ginger, garlic and chili paste twice in this dish. Once when you are boiling the beans and
Red onion and Tomatoes - You can use white or red onion. Just like garlic ginger and chili paste, you will need finely chopped red onion and tomato twice in this dish. Once while boiling the lentils and beans and the second time while making the tadka.
Spices - You need a spice paste of cumin powder, coriander powder, chili powder and turmeric. You will also need kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves). It is one of the key ingredients.
Eggs - Egg is whisked and added on top once the dish is almost ready. You can choose to keep it vegetarian and skip the egg.
Steps to prepare:
1- Soak the green mung and chana dal too (if using). Soak it for overnight for quick cooking. If you don't have enough time, then soak in hot water and keep it covered for at least 1 hour.
2- When ready to prepare, take a pressure cooker and heat some ghee with oil. Add cumin seeds and some of the ginger garlic chili paste. Sauté for a few seconds and then add chopped onion. Season with salt and cook the onion until it's softened.
3- In a bowl, add all the ground spices and mix with little water.
4- Add the spice paste to the pressure cooker and cook the spices for a few minutes.
5- Add the tomatoes and toss it around and cook the spices for a few more minutes, or until you see the oil releasing on the side.
6 - Add the soaked lentils and beans, pour hot water and boil the lentils. Once done, let it pressure settle before you open the lid.
7- In a separate pan, add butter or ghee and add remaining of the ginger garlic paste along with dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi). Add the remaining of the onion and tomato and cook until softened.
8- Finally, add the boiled beans and lentils and stir it around. Pour water if needed to improve the gravy consistency of the torka dal.
9- Whisk three eggs nicely and then drizzle it to the dal. If you are vegetarian, or wish to not use egg, skip this step.
10- Finally, add a little more kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) and finely chopped cilantro leaves before serving.
While serving, you can garnish with thinly sliced ginger and sliced green chili.
Preparing the dish in Instant Pot or Electric/ Indian Pressure Cooker
I use a regular Indian pressure cooker to boil the bean and daal. You can use Instant too. Before serving add
You can definitely make the entire dish in the instant pot or Electric/ Indian Pressure Cooker too.
Keynote: One keynote to remember when you are making this Egg Torka Daal is to make sure you do not cook the texture too mushy or too watery.
Enjoy Egg Torka/Tadka warm with your choice of bread. I feel roomali roti is the perfect pairing or Naan or Pav, but on a busy day even our regular Indian roti or paratha is great.
More lentil based dish to try:
Palak Pesarattu | Spinach Mung Bean Crêpe
FAQs
Typically, green mung dal with chana dal are used as together these two variety of lentils, create a lovely texture combination.
Yes — to make it vegan-friendly, simply omit the eggs and ghee. Instead, use just oil.
Yes — this dish goes well with steamed rice, jeera (cumin) rice, or Indian breads like roti, naan or paratha. A side of fresh salad or yogurt helps balance the richness of the dal and eggs.
Bengali Egg Tadka Dal
Ingredients
- ¼ cup split chickpea (chana dal)
- ½ cup green mung beans
- 4 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 and ½ inch fresh ginger (thinly slice half of it and finely chop the rest)
- 2 green chili ((finely chop one of it and slit the second one))
- 1 red onion (6 oz, finely chop)
- 1 tomato (6oz, finely chop)
- 3 eggs (whisked in a bowl and keep aside)
- 3 tablespoon Ghee
- 1 tablespoon oil
- Few sprigs of cilantro leaves
Spices
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash the mung beans and split chickpea and then soak it together overnight or at least for a few hours.
- Prep before cookingMake a paste of ginger, garlic and green chili. Finely chop the onion and finely chop the tomato. Make a spice paste by add turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder and chili powder to a bowl and mix with water. Finely chop the cilantro leaves and keep aside to be used right at the end.
- When you are ready to prepare, heat a pressure cooker and add 1 tablespoon ghee plus oil. Sprinkle cumin seeds and let it sizzle. Next, add half of the ginger garlic and chili paste and let it sizzle.
- Scatter ⅔ of the chopped onion, sprinkle with salt and stir it around to soften the onion. Next, add ⅔ of the chopped tomato and stir it around.
- Next, pour the spice paste you prepped earlier and pour it to the pressure cooker. Let the spice paste cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the soaked beans to the pressure cooker and pour some water. Then close the lid and let it whistle at medium heat, 3 times. Switch off the heat and let it release the pressure gradually.
- For the tadka/torka, in a heavy bottom skillet or pan at medium heat, pour the oil and once it's heats up add ghee and once it heats up, add the remaining of the ginger garlic and chili paste along with remaining of the onion and tomato. Toss it around until it's softened and looks glossy.
- Add the boiled beans, lentils and stir it around to incorporate everything. Pour more water if needed to adjust the consistency of the dal you prefer. Also check for salt and add more if needed.
- In a bowl, whisk the eggs and then drizzle on the dal tadka as it simmers. Let the eggs cook for 3 more minute.
- Finally, crush some kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) and mix it around. Finish it by garnishing with finely chopped cilantro leaves, sliced ginger and slit green chilies.
- Enjoy warm!
