8 traditional tadka used across Indian states and why

When someone asks what makes local Indian food flavourful, the simple answer is our tadka or tempering. It is that key technique of Indian cooking, which uplifts the taste and aroma of Indian food to another level. And this tadka differs from state to state and region to region. The core soul of tadka lies in oil and whole spices, which are burnt together in a small pan. The fusion of flavours and warmth of spices with oil transfers to the dish, giving it a rich aroma and taste. It’s the perfect finishing touch that elevates any meal. Here, we have listed eight classic tadkas used across India. Take a look.

Apart from enhancing the flavour of the dish, it also helps with better digestion of the heavy dishes. The use of spices like cumin, fennel, and coriander, aids in making the complex food, breakdown easily and get digested.

It is the classic Punjabi and North Indian tadka, which uses ghee along with cumin, hing, garlic, and red chilies. It’s commonly poured over dal tadka and yellow moong dal for a rich, comforting finish.

This is the signature and very popular South Indian tempering, where peanut or coconut oil is tempered with mustard seeds, followed by curry leaves and urad or chana dal, depending upon the dish. It adds a nutty, aromatic punch to sambar, rasam, and chutneys.

As the name suggests, it is mostly used in Bengali cuisine for the distinctive taste, where the famous five-spice mix called panch phoron is tempered in mustard oil. The spices used here are methi, nigella, cumin, fennel, and mustard.

This tadka is commonly used in Rajasthani homes for kadhi and curries and it relies heavily on hing and whole red chillies in hot ghee.

This tadka is slightly sweet and aromatic and uses mustard seeds, curry leaves, peanuts, and a sprinkle of goda masala. It is mostly used in varan, amti, and vegetable curries.

This tadka is locally called vaghar and is a tempering made with ghee or oil along with mustard seeds, cumin, sesame seeds, curry leaves, and green chili. It is mostly used in kadhi and Gujarati dal preparations.

In the Andhra region, they love bold heat flavours and hence the tadka here uses plenty of garlic, red chilies, and curry leaves in hot oil. This tadka is used in dal, curry, and even chutneys.

In Kashmiri cuisine, they pay more attention to aroma than spiciness, and hence the tempering uses fennel and hing in ghee, lending a warm, subtly sweet fragrance to dals and yogurts.