Toor Dal (Dal Tadkaa)

Ingredients

1 cup toor dal - soaked for at least 4 hours

1 onion - chopped

5 to 6 cloves of garlic - chopped finely

2 dried red chillies (I use the round ones - the Gujarati chillies)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 teaspoons jeera

a pinch of asafoetida

2 tablespoons ghee

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoons ghee

salt as per taste

Method

Pressure cook the dal with the chopped onions in 2 cups of water. Mash the cooked dal with a potato masher, add some water if the mixture is too thick. Keep aside.

In a kadhai add the ghee. When the ghee gets hot add the jeera and the asafoetida. In 10 seconds add the garlic and reduce the flame to a medium low. Be careful not to let the garlic burn else the dal will turn bitter. To this mixture add the crushed red chillies and the cilantro. Mix all well and then add the mashed dal to this mixture. Add turmeric and salt to taste and let the dal come to a boil. You can now increase the flame on the burner.

Serve it with Rice, Chappati or Naan