Dinner

Tarka Dal with Roasted Cauliflower

Name: Tarka Dal with Roasted Cauliflower
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 120 g Red lentils; 350 g Cauliflower; 12 g Rapeseed oil; 100 g Onion; A quarter tin (100 g) Chopped tomatoes, tinned; 3 cloves, about 9 g Garlic; 1 tsp of seeds if you have them Ground cumin; Half a tsp Ground turmeric; A pinch Chilli flakes; A handful Fresh coriander; A squeeze Lemon juice

A plain dal finished with sizzled garlic and cumin, with a tray of charred cauliflower on top. 20 g of protein for 347 kcal.

Calories: 347kcal
Protein: 20g
Fat: 8g
Carbs: 50g

Per serving, makes 2. 15 minutes of work, then 25 minutes roasting and simmering. Published 8 September 2026.

Allergens

None of the fourteen declared allergens is in the ingredient list as written.

Flags follow UK labelling rules and come from the ingredients as listed, not from any particular brand. Check the packet before cooking for somebody with an allergy.

Recipe in pictures

View larger

Swipe through the ingredients and each step, or play the slideshow.

Tarka Dal with Roasted Cauliflower, plated and ready to serve. — The finished recipe. Tarka Dal with Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients 1 to 6 for tarka dal with roasted cauliflower arranged separately on a dark worktop. — Ingredients 1 to 6. 120 g Red lentils (Dry weight.). 350 g Cauliflower (Cut into small florets so they colour in the time.). 12 g Rapeseed oil. 100 g Onion. A quarter tin (100 g) Chopped tomatoes, tinned. 3 cloves, about 9 g Garlic (Sliced thinly. It goes in the hot oil at the end, not the pot.)

Ingredients 7 to 11 for tarka dal with roasted cauliflower arranged separately on a dark worktop. — Ingredients 7 to 11. 1 tsp of seeds if you have them Ground cumin. Half a tsp Ground turmeric. A pinch Chilli flakes. A handful Fresh coriander. A squeeze Lemon juice

Tarka Dal with Roasted Cauliflower, preparation step 1: Heat the oven to 220°C. Toss the cauliflower with a third of the oil, salt and the turmeric, and roast for 25 minutes until the edges blacken. — Step 1. Heat the oven to 220°C. Toss the cauliflower with a third of the oil, salt and the turmeric, and roast for 25 minutes until the edges blacken.

Tarka Dal with Roasted Cauliflower, preparation step 2: Meanwhile simmer the rinsed lentils with the chopped onion, tomatoes and 500 ml of water for 20 minutes until soft. Salt at the end and add the lemon. — Step 2. Meanwhile simmer the rinsed lentils with the chopped onion, tomatoes and 500 ml of water for 20 minutes until soft. Salt at the end and add the lemon.

Tarka Dal with Roasted Cauliflower, preparation step 3: Heat the remaining oil in a small pan, add the garlic, cumin and chilli flakes and fry for 30 seconds until the garlic is just golden. — Step 3. Heat the remaining oil in a small pan, add the garlic, cumin and chilli flakes and fry for 30 seconds until the garlic is just golden.

The finished tarka dal with roasted cauliflower. — Step 4. Pour the sizzling oil over the dal, pile the cauliflower on top and scatter the coriander.

01 / 07

Download Instagram slides

All 7 images + the recipe and a caption
1080 × 1350 PNGs

AI-generated food images illustrating the recipe.

Ingredients

Red lentils120 g
Dry weight.
Cauliflower350 g
Cut into small florets so they colour in the time.
Rapeseed oil12 g
Onion100 g
Chopped tomatoes, tinnedA quarter tin (100 g)
Garlic3 cloves, about 9 g
Sliced thinly. It goes in the hot oil at the end, not the pot.
Ground cumin1 tsp of seeds if you have them
Ground turmericHalf a tsp
Chilli flakesA pinch
Fresh corianderA handful
Lemon juiceA squeeze

Method

Heat the oven to 220°C. Toss the cauliflower with a third of the oil, salt and the turmeric, and roast for 25 minutes until the edges blacken.
Meanwhile simmer the rinsed lentils with the chopped onion, tomatoes and 500 ml of water for 20 minutes until soft. Salt at the end and add the lemon.
Heat the remaining oil in a small pan, add the garlic, cumin and chilli flakes and fry for 30 seconds until the garlic is just golden.
Pour the sizzling oil over the dal, pile the cauliflower on top and scatter the coriander.

Worth knowing

The tarka is the whole point. Garlic fried until it is golden, not brown, or it turns bitter and there is no rescuing it.
No rice, so this is a lighter dinner at 347 kcal. Add 150 g of cooked rice for another 195.

Other dinner recipes that share ingredients with this one, or every dinner between 300 and 450 calories a serving.

This recipe is in the app.

Every recipe on this site is in Fuel8’s Recipes tab, with the same macros. Search it by name or ingredient, pick half a serving or two, and add it to a meal in one tap. Your own recipes sit beside them.

Download on the App Store

Get the seven-day Fuel8 email guide, including how the app works and membership benefits. Then occasional recipes and product updates.

Your name and email go to Grow More Services L.L.C-FZ, the company that builds Fuel8, and are stored in Resend so we can email you the seven-day app guide, membership benefits, recipes and product updates. An account is not required. Unsubscribe in one click, any time.

Macros are calculated from the weights listed above using standard food composition values, and will shift with your own brands and measuring. Weigh what you can. This is a recipe, not dietary advice. The full health disclaimer is below.