There are many different languages and dialects in India so therefore there are many words for tadka (Hindi) like thalipu (Tamil), tarka (Urudu), chaunk (also Hindi), and many more. I’ve given you a decision tree down below which will give you options for oils that you can choose based on your use case. Thickest Spices and Aromatics (Added in the beginning)
Black Peppercorn (Whole) - Add a subtle peppery taste to the dish Cinnamon Stick - Add a comforting, warming, back of the throat spice Cardamom Pod (Whole) - Add a sweetness and floral taste Cloves - Add a bitter and licorice-y taste Split Urad Dal - Nuttiness. It also adds a crunchy texture to dishes. Whole Dried Red Chilis
Thinner Spices (Added in the middle)
Cumin Seeds - Add a earthy nuttiness Black Mustard seeds - Add a bitter, subtle horseradish-y spice Nigella Seeds - Oniony taste Fresh Green Chilis - Herbal heat. Slit whole chilis in half for a more subtle heat or chop them finely for a more pronounced heat. Garlic - Umami bomb! Add after dried spices because it can burn easily. Ginger - Fresh, spicy, peppery taste. Add after dried whole spices because it can absorb a lot of oil leaving little for the other spices. Curry Leaves - Citrusy, peppery, herbal. Pops in the oil because of its water content so be careful. However, this leaf is so crucial to South Indian dishes. Adds an extra crunch to dishes as well.
Ground Spices (Added at the very end)
Ground Black Pepper - Add a strong peppery taste to the dish Turmeric - The bright yellow powder blooms in the fat and makes for an earthy tasting dish. Asafetida (Hing) - Adds an onion/garlic pungent flavor.
This is a detailed article about tadka! Please leave a comment below letting me know what you thought of this article and if it was helpful to you! I always love hearing your questions and your comments 🙂
