Ingredients

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For the Daal

* 1/2 cup masoor dal (pink, split lentils), picked over
* 1/2 cup moong dal, picked over
* 1/2 cup toor dal, picked over
* 3/4 cup channa dal, picked over
* 1/4 cup urad dal, picked over
* 8 cups cold water, or as needed
* Salt to taste
* 1 medium onion, finely chopped
* 3 cloves garlic, mashed to a paste (about 1/2 tablespoon)
* 2 small hot green chilis, or 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped, with seeds
* 1 tablespoon ground garam masala
* 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
* 1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
* 1 teaspoon turmeric
* 1 teaspoon Indian red chile powder or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh or canned tomato
* 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
* 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro (about 1 firmly packed cup leaves), finely chopped

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For the Tarkas

* 4 tablespoons ghee or canola oil
* 1 medium onion, finely chopped
* 3 cloves garlic, mashed to a paste (about 1/2 tablespoon)
* 2 small hot green chiles, or 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped, with seeds
* 6 fresh curry leaves
* 1-inch stick cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
* 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
* 3 cloves
* Pinch asafoetida

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Method :

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1. For the daal, wash and drain the lentils. Put them in a 3-quart saucepan with the 8 cups water, 1 tablespoon salt, onion, garlic paste and chopped fresh chiles. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer the lentils, partially covered, until they are tender, about 45 minutes.

2. Lower the heat to medium, add the garam masala, ground cumin and coriander, turmeric and chile powder and give the mixture a stir. Cover and simmer the daal 5 more minutes.

3. Add the tomatoes and simmer 15 more minutes. Add more water if the daal gets dry--it should be the consistency of a lentil soup, not thick and bound like a split pea soup.

4. Stir in the lemon juice, half of the cilantro and 2 more teaspoons salt. Then take the daal off the heat while you make the tarkas.

5. Pour 3 tablespoons of the ghee or oil into a small saucepan and warm over medium-high heat. Add the curry leaves and cook about 1 minute. Then add the onion and cook until it just begins to brown around the edges, 4 to 5 more minutes. Then add the garlic paste and chopped chiles and cook just to mellow the raw taste of the garlic, 10 to 15 seconds. Scrape this into the daal.

6. Pour the remaining tablespoon of the oil into the saucepan or a small kadai and warm it over medium-high heat. Add the cinnamon stick and cook it until you can smell it. Then add the whole cumin and mustard seeds, the cloves and the asafoetida and cook, stirring, until the mustard seeds start popping. Dump this mixture immediately into the daal and stir. Let the daal
stand a few minutes to infuse it with the perfumed oil, then sprinkle with the remaining cilantro. Serve hot.