Egg Tadka Recipe | Dimer Torka

Learn to make egg tadka recipe Bengali style with step-by-step photos and 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.

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 street-side vendors selling tarka-roti every day. Along with veg tadka and egg tadka, you will also find chicken or mutton tadka in some places.

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

Not much of 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.

Let's get started.

Preparations

• 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 to a plate and set aside to use later.
• Heat 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. 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 becomes soft and pulpy. 
• Add cumin 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 in the tadka masala and let it boil over a medium flame for 2-3 minutes.
• Add scrambled egg, along with Kasuri methi 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.

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, 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

1. Dal: green moong dal and chana dal is a must. In addition, you could use your choice of dals as well.
2. 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.
3. 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. 
4. Garam masala powder - Homemade or storebought. Any garam masala powder would do the job.
5. Make sure not to add too much water. The gravy should not be very thick or thin.
6. Increase the quantities of dals and all ingredients, if serving more than three persons. 
7. For plain tadka or vegetarian dal tadka skip the egg. 
8. Skip butter for a lighter or vegan version. 

More dal recipes:

• Arhar Dal
• Ghugni Recipe
• Arhar Dal Palak

If you try this recipe, please leave a feedback and rating. You can also tag me @spoonofflavor on Instagram.