Recipe

• 2 cups tur dal (split pigeon peas)
• 1/2 cups moong dal (split green gram) (optional)
• 3-4 cloves fresh garlic, chopped (can use paste as well)
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely chopped (can use paste as well)
• 3-4 green chillies, based on your spice requirements 
• 5-6 curry leaves
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 small tomato, finely chopped

Spices

• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• Pinch of asafoetida
• salt to taste

Step 1:

• Mix both dals and cook them together, preferably in a pressure cooker. For cooking the dals, take double the cups of water for every cup of dal (1:2 ratio); in this case, 5 cups water 
• let the cooker whistle 3-4 times (or till the time the dal is cooked completely)
• let the cooker cool down and keep the cooked dal aside
• for smoother consistency, smash the cooked dal with a flat-based spoon or mix in a hand-mixer 

Step 2:

• In a deep bottom vessel (kadhai) add 2 tbsp of oil and let it heat up
• add mustard and cumin seeds and let them sizzle
• add the fresh chopped garlic and ginger and cook in the oil till golden brown
• add chillies & curry leaves
• immediately add diced onions so that the curry leaves don’t burn
• add 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• add the chopped tomato
• mix well and let the spices cook in the onions and tomato mixture
• once the onions and tomatoes are cooked, add the dal and mix well
• add some hot water in the vessel, based on the consistency you want for your dal
• add salt to taste
• let it cook till the entire preparation begins to boil
• take it off the heat and your dal fry is ready!