Both Dal fry and Dal Tadka use almost the same ingredients but the cooking technique varies. For Dal Tadka the lentils are cooked with onion, tomato, ginger-garlic, and mashed for a smoother texture. A tempering (tadka) of spices, aromatics, and herbs made in ghee/oil is added to the cooked dal, mixed, and served. While for Dal Fry, lentils are cooked with salt and then fried/sauteed with spiced onion, tomato, ginger, garlic masala made in ghee.