Suvir Saran

Wilfrid, I ate the truffled egg sandwich last week. And I realized yet again.. why I go back to Ino's many times a month. The truffled egg toast is just amazing.

SA, Do you have a recipe for the potatoies smothered in a yogurt sauce? They sound delicious.

Marcus as very well explained in the post above, Dimple is not t he place to go to for South Indian foods. Madras Mahal is the place to go to for Dosas and Idlis and Utthapam. But if you want South Indian foods... I would prefer going to Pongal. Actually I think Vivin said that he recently had a nice meal at Mavalli Palace. So, if you prefer South Indian foods, go to Madras Mahal since you prefer it to the others. Dimple is best for Gujarati foods. And especially for chaats. The street food dishes they have are as good as one can find outside of homes in NYC at least. If you go to the Dimple thread in the Indian forum, you can learn more about Dimple and their foods. Marcus, what do you like about Madras Mahal over the others you mention?

Is there a restaurant you go to enjoy this soup? Do you make it at home? Have a recipe that is your favorite?

Do you preserve lemons at home? What is the best season to do so? Summer? Do you buy preserved lemons?? What do you use them for? I have often seen a red thing in some.. what is it?

Anil, What are the lamb tagines made with in each place? what kind of sauce?

I am somewhat known for my Moroccan cooking. I love making all the many Mezza (appetizer like) dishes. Tagines and stews. Even the soups. But when it comes to couscous making, I am always nervous. Are there any tricks I need to learn? Recipes that work well? Is there an absolute need to by a couscoussier? I have so many different pans and appliances that I feel if I can avoid buying another big pan, I am happier. But if this is a necessity, I will absolutely go get one. What do you all think??

Perfectcircle, Thanks for your encouraging words. And most of all, thanks for sharing the memories of breads. They were wonderful. Indiras recipe sounds perfect. If you have great success with it, make those. My mother makes them like Indira. And they are sumptuous. You have a great member name. Especially when posting on a Indian flat-bread thread. I always teach my students how while it would not matter at home, but Indian grandmas would teach new brides to be the art of rolling perfect circles. A perfect circle, rolled perfectly can eliminate any errors you can find in the puffing of chapatis and pooris. ALso they look attractive. What do you eat your Bhaturas with Perfectcircle??

frankj, Of all those great Indian breads, which are your favorites? Where do you get these? A favorite restaurant? What does this restaurant do differently from others, if anything at all? Where is this restaurant? Vivin, Those Punjabi home made parathas are the best. I yearn for them like you do. I make my pilgrimage to San Francisco a couple of times a year. My maternal grandmother (Nani) was always the best paratha maker in our group of family and friends, and how lucky I am that she lives so close to me. Even in San Francisco, she has done everything she can to make her kitchen the same as what her chefs and she had prepared in India. Aloo (potato), Gobi (cauliflower), mooli (radish), paneer, pyaz (onion), dal (lentil) and even meethe (sweet) parathas are made. I had never eaten the ones stuffed with leaves of radish at her home. I shall ask her why... they sound amazing. We all also have in her repertoire those stuffed with peas. As I travel to friends and families homes across India and even the US, I find her parathas and those of other Punjabi moms the very best. They are geniuses when it comes to stuffing. They overstuff with filling and have mastered t he art of being able to roll these parathas even as they burst with filling. They are crisp and crunchy breads that are more filling than bread. How they do it? Only they know and can be learned only by watching them and learning the art of feeding with love from them. I remember Nani takes ghee into her hands, she tears a hole into a cooking paratha, and with her fingers she lines the inside of the bread on either side with ghee. I asked her why she did that? Her answer, the ghee heats the bread from inside and helps cook it both inside and out and makes the thick layer of bread nice and crisp. It also adds more flavor to the filling. I asked her if it burned her fingers, she said it does for the first few times, but then she gets used to it. I do not know many chefs that would make such a gallant effort. Remembering her paratha making takes me to Olivas post about the women working the tandoor in the squares around some of the smaller cities and certainly many villages, these women work the chulahs (earthen-ware ovens) with such dexterity that one would think they are assembly line workers in some complex industry. But these are mothers, wives and grandmas that have mastered the art of bread making to ensure the most humbles of pleasures for all their family, the gift of a warm chapati, naan, paratha or roti for each family member. That is what is most important for me when I think of Indian breads. Having hot, fresh and home made breads. They are as good as life gets and as simple as it can be. But in that simplicity, as frankj shares is one of t he greatest zeniths of any culinary tradition. As a teenager I remember begging my sister and brother, who were older to take me with them and their peer to the Anda Paratha (parathas with eggs) vendors they went to very late at night. Again, this simple preparation would make our senses go atwitter even at the very late hours of the night, when morning is well on its way. In less than humble surroundings, we would eat less than simple food, but it gave us such joy, that even as I type this on the keypad my mouth is drooling for a chance to savor those simple parathas. In Singapore, at 4:30 one morning, it was friday night- saturday morning, we came out of a night spot with our hosts. They asked if we were hungry and ready for "An Asian" late night experience, and I said a loud Yes. We were taken to an outdoor dining hall. At that late hour, hundreds were gathered in this semi-covered food mall. Vendor after vendor were selling amazing foods at reasonable prices and to people as diverse as one could hope to see at the UN. Rich, poor, Chinese, Malay, Indian, Nepalese, Sikh, Caucasian, Black, Japanese and who knows what else, could all be spotted, and at that place and setting, nothing divided them, they were all enjoying the wonders of these foods t hat were being served by hawkers and their pimps. You could sit at a spot you liked and were lucky to find. With a few extra cents, you could have a third party person buy you all your dishes or those that wanted to explore themselves, could travel around the market to buy their foods directly. It was amazing to see such life at this hour. It took me back to Mohammed Ali Road in Bombay. No where else before had I seen that great buzz at this hour of the day/night. It is magical. People were mostly eating street foods from many different cuisines. And breads were the winners across the different cuisines. And I actually saw how many of the cuisines had adopted some kind of flat breads into their repertoire. My favorite in that setting were the several Malaysian Rotis.

RICE CASSEROLE WITH PEAS, POTATOES AND WHOLE GARAM MASALA Tahiree Serves 6 to 8 This was a dish that is revered in the UP (Uttar Pradesh in the north of India) side of my family. My fathers family eats this rice dish when taking a break from a week full of over indulgence in foods. We ate this with a simple onion and tomato raita and lots of papadum and some mint and mango chutney. (Yogurt and tomato chutney is even simpler.) It's very clean tasting because it has very little oil but the mixture of spices also makes for great depth of flavor. This is also very good with cauliflower in place of potato – use the smallest head you can find and cut it into medium florets. The rice is cooked on top of the stove and then finished in the oven to ensure separate, dry grains and the formation of "khurchan", the crispy browned rice on the bottom of the casserole that Indians love so much. 2 cups basmati rice, soaked in 4 1/2 cups water for 20 minutes, drained, water reserved 3 tablespoons canola oil 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 8 whole cloves 10 black peppercorns 1 inch cinnamon stick 3 whole dried red chilies 4 green cardamom pods 2 medium red boiling potatoes (bout 3/4 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch squares 10 ounce package frozen peas 1 fresh, hot green chili, stemmed and cut into half lengthwise (optional) 3/4 teaspoon turmeric powder 3/4 teaspoon garam masala 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves 1. Preheat the oven to 300? F. 2. Combine the oil, cinnamon, red chilies cardamom, cumin, cloves and peppercorns in a large, heavy bottomed casserole over medium high heat. When the oil is hot add the whole spices and fry them till the seeds turn brown (1 minute). 3. Add the potatoes and fry until the edges become translucent, 3-4 minutes. 4. Then add the turmeric and green chili and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. 5. Add the peas and cayenne and cook, stirring, for another minute. 6. Add drained rice and cook, stirring, about 1 minute. 7. Add the garam masala, salt and reserved water and bring to a boil. Give it a stir. Then reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, 10 minutes, until water is absorbed and the rice is cooked through. After 5 minutes, uncover and stir gently (so as not to break the rice) in order to distribute the potatoes and peas evenly in the rice. 8. Put the rice in the oven and bake 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest 5 more minutes. 9. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve hot.

If you want to eat the Khichree that Indians prepare, hit the link below. Indian Khichree

Mung Daal Kee Khichree Serves 4 to 6 When we were kids in Nagpur, a city in the state of Maharashtra, we had several family members come visit us. One couple I remember visiting were my grandaunt and uncle from Delhi. Grand Uncle could not understand why my parents did not have help at home. He had seen us in a home with way too many people, and now here we were with none. My parents had decided to take this 3-year posting away from home in Delhi as a way to accustom them and us to the art of living. We did everything ourselves. My mother would cook and we each had chores we would do to help relieve her of some burden. Granduncle prepared this rice and lentil Khichree one day and we were all hooked. He made it with ghee which was something of a luxury; my mother made it by churning the cream by hand into butter, and then clarifying the butter into ghee. Khichree is a one-pot meal that is delicious, healthy, soulful and addictive. In fact in our home in NYC, I often end up making this as we find this a perfect way of taking a break from non-stop eating out and entertaining. Chicken soup of India. Sometimes I add vegetables to this dish, too: I saute diced potato along with the onion until the onions begins to wilt, and then add chopped cauliflower and green chili and sauté another minute. Then I continue with the recipe as below. Serve this with raita and chutney. 1 1/4 cups split mung beans (moong chilka dal), picked over, rinsed and drained 3/4 cup basmati rice, picked over, rinsed and drained 1/4 cup ghee or canola oil 3 whole dried red chilies 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds 2 bay leaves 8 cloves 4 black peppercorns 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1/8 teaspoon asafetida 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 5 3/4 cups water 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste 1/4 teaspoon garam masala 2 onions, halved, sliced, slices cut in half 1. Combine the lentils and rice in a bowl and add cold water to cover; let soak 20 minutes. Drain and set aside. 2. Heat the ghee, if using, in a 9 1/2-inch, heavy-bottomed casserole over medium-high heat until liquid. Add the red chilies, cumin seeds, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns, turmeric, asafetida, and ground black pepper and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Or, if using oil, combine the oil with the spices over medium-high heat and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. 3. Add the onions and fry until they begin to wilt, about 3 minutes. 4. Add the rice and lentil mix and sauté, stirring gently so as not to break the rice, about 1 minute. 5. Add the water, salt and garam masala stir gently to mix. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down to low and simmer very gently 20 minutes. Then uncover and stir gently. Cover and cook 5 more minutes. (At this point, the rice and lentils should be cooked through and the mixture should be wet, like a very thick, savory porridge.) Note: Add less water in the beginning and add as you go along if you want the recipe more dry.

Im Jaddara Serves 6-8 Jaddara is another dish I have learned from Mary Ann Joulwan. This is very similar to Khicharee that we eat in India. The only difference is that the lentil and rice casserole, if you will, is not as spiced and a lot more subtle. 1 cups brown lentils or sabut masoor daal 5 3/4 cups water 2 medium red onions, finely minced 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon salt, or to taste 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder 3/4 cup rice chopped cilantro or parsley for garnish 1. Rinse lentils thoroughly in warm water. 2. Place washed lentils in medium soup pot. 3. Add water and bring to a boil, only long enough to skim off and froth. 4. Lower heat, cover, boil very gently for 20 minutes. 5. While the lentils are boiling, sauté minced onions in olive oil, mixing and turning constantly until color of onions is dark brown to almost black but NOT burned. 6. At this point, add 1 cup of the boiling lentil water to onions. This will cause an explosive effect. Simmer onions in the water about 5 minutes until the liquid is dark brown and the oil glazes the onions. 7. Add this dark onion/water mixture to the boiling lentils. 8. Add the salt and pepper. 9. Add rice, bring to a boil, cover and simmer on very low heat and cook about 15 minutes more or until all water is soaked. 10. Remove from hear and serve hot with yogurt and papadam Garnish: Serve the Jaddara with chopped cilantro leaves on top of serving bowl as garnish

Sahadis is a great store we have on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. You can visit their website or call them. I am sure they can help you get most of the stuff you need. Sahadi's 187 Atlantic Avenue (between Clinton & Court Streets) Brooklyn, New York (718) 624-4550 Sahadi's website

Foods Of India is a great source in NYC. They do ship around the country. I know someone else used them to order curry leaves. Their Indian stuff is of the best quality I have ever seen in the US. They are maybe a few pennies more expensive than some of the other places, but you get far better ingredients than you could anywhere else. Foods of India 121 Lexington Avenue New York City, NY Tel: (212) 683 4419 Proprietor: Arun Kumar Sinha On the internet you can go to www.namaste.com or even www.ethnicgrocer.com

Varmint, In Hinduism, rice is revered as well. If you read the first post, you will see the many references I make to that point. In India it is considered wrong to waste food. While I often see people in the US throw lots of food into the garbage from their plates at parties and other social events, in India that would be considered wrong. One is supposed to take small portions but often. What I see is that people often take too much. And then feel nothing as t hey throw large amounts of food away. I am not sure if the reason behind not wasting in India is religious or simply the fact that such a large number of the population is starving. But rice is of great religious importance. If you read that first post, you will see in how many different ways rice guides the Indian psyche. I forgot to mention how in many Southern Indian homes, rice flour is made into a batter that is used to paint the floor of the home with "rangoli", geometric patterns that adorn the floors of many homes. Many of these drawings also have religious significance. And the rice flour is supposed to be auspicious.

I find myself prefering Lal Qila Basmati from Pakistan and also Champagne Basmati rice that you can find at Foods Of India in Little India in NYC. I have had little if any good success with the store bought American Basmati Rice. It is too starchy for my taste. And the grains of rice are never slender and separate unless I add some fat into the recipe.

Are there any favorite recipes people have with rice? What rice do you use most when cooking at home? Is there a favorite brand of Indian rice you find yourself using?

Rice Chaawal, Bhaat, or Anna, rice is what makes for the most important element of Indian cooking. It is believed in India that our lives depend on rice. Rice is symbolic of life itself. When sick, most patients are fed foods that are rice based. This takes us to the nurturing qualities of life. Rice plays a very important role in the daily lives of all Indians. A childs first non dairy meal is the eating of rice. Called anna-jal or anna praashan sanskar, the paternal grandparents feed the baby with simple boiled rice. The rice given to the baby is the same as that which is offered to the gods after a ritual prayer and offering ceremony. The ceremony is grand and special, after offering the gods, the child gets its first bite. Thereafter all the elders, family and friends sit down for a multi-course meal. During the Hindu wedding ceremony, the brothers of the bride fill her sari with grains of rice. This is symbolic of showering her with blessings of a long life, and of procreation. Rice is a symbol of life that is eternal and everlasting. By putting rice in her sari, which is made into a bag resembling her womb, the brothers are blessing her with fertility and also take a vow to protect her for life. Basmati rice is only one of many different kinds of rice found in India. Basmati rice actually grows only in a very small area. Long grain, small, fat, thin, curved and brown are many different types of rice found in India. Puffed rice and beaten rice (poha) are other forms of rice. The tastes of each of these grain varies. They can be aromatic, sweet, nutty or starchy. Known in India well before written history, rice is a part of Indian life unlike any other grain. Rice became a integral part of the Aryan society. It is offered to the gods. Used for healing and to bless. Payasa, known as Kheer in northern India, Payassam in Southern India, is basic rice pudding. Many believe that Rice Pudding as we see today in restaurants around the world owes it origin to this dish. Cooked for hours in milk and then sweetened with sugar and flavored with cardamom, this pudding is offered to the gods and is the essential dessert of any Indian feast. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari in the southern tip of India, from Bombay to Calcutta in the east, every formal banquet has at least a few preparations of rice. One often sees just plain steamed rice an aromatic pilaf of some kind and often a biryaani. The steamed rice is prepared for all to enjoy the subtle flavoring of the savory dishes. Pilafs and Biryaanis are eaten by themselves as they are able to give the palate a very rich culinary experience in each bite. Then there are teharis and khicharis that are made in most homes. These are simpler pilafs that are made either with rice and vegetables alone or often some lentils are mixed as well. When one needs a break from having eaten very complex and rich meals during festivities and special events, one sees the Khichari take a very plain form. Then there are those versions of Khichari that are very lavish and complex. One heals an overworked palate while the other excites a dull palate. Puffed rice and beaten rice are other ways of eating rice in India. Puffed rice is used in the making of tea time snacks like munmure in eastern India and jhaal mooree in Bengal. Both are spicy and tickle the taste buds and open them for more spicy foods to follow. Munmura was eaten at our home around dusk. It was just a spiced rice puff trail mix. The rice puffs were mixed with crunchy chickpeas and some gram flour noodles and spices. Very crunch and light, this was a snack we could feast on as we drank our long glass of milk. Jhaal Mooree was the wet and crunchy Calcutta version. It was street food that I feel moves the soul into a much deeper consciousness. Poha on the other hand is the word for the beaten rice. Popular all over India, this is an Indian Paella. The beaten rice is very easy to cook with. All it needs is some water to rehydrate and no cooking. Simple and fast, recipes that call for this are a favorite with all ages. This is another tea time favorite and also a common dish found in tiffins of school children. In the winter I remember coming back from school, eating lunch and then heading to the veranda, where I would sit in comfortable cane chairs and munch on Moa. This is a cake made with puffed rice, honey, jaggery and some spices. Crunch and sweet, this is very similar to the puffed rice cakes that are now showing up in many neighborhood bakeries in America. We could never have enough of these. I remember my mother always telling us that too much sugar was bad for our delicate teeth. Not even the fear of a dentist visit would stop us from overeating these tasty Moas. As one visits homes in India, one sees many different ways of rice preparation. A great way of telling a home where the cooks have steady hands is their rendering of plain steamed rice. Simple to cook, often most people have a hard time preparing this plain recipe. In most homes one sees a designated pot for cooking rice. Most often this is a wide and shallow pot as the shallower the depth of water and rice the better the results. A tall pot would result in little steam and then the grains of rice could remain too hard. Thus all a perfect pot is needed for daily cooking of rice. Indians love to eat steamed rice just perfectly cooked. Perfectly cooked rice must have distinctly separate, plump and cooked yet gently firm grains. The rice must be served steaming hot and imparting its subtle yet priceless aroma. Ghee must always accompany rice. Most Indians sprinkle some ghee over steaming rice and only then pour the curries that will complete the meal.

As the limes age they get very dark and the flavor changes. It oxidises some. It becomes more woody. And the end product, the loomi lemonade is dark in color and very different in taste from your ordinary lemonade. K sums it up very well in finding it similar to tea. I did not think in those lines, but yes, it is more like iced-tea than lemonade. There is no better drink to have on a hot sultry day. Day before yesterday when NYC was hot and miserable, loomi saved me from getting all angst ridden because of the heat. It is wort every effort to procure loomi limes and making this drink in the summer. But those like me would be drinking it all year long.

K, Here is roughly the easy way to prepare loomi. I have loomi (dry limes form Iraq most commonly, but who knows from where they are imported these days) from California. A Syrian friend has a source they use for them and I get it their courtesy. Sahadi in Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn carries loomi. I am sure they are just as good. As for most Middle-Eastern drinks, you have to use your own judgement for sugar and intensity of flavor. The recipe below is only a starting point. Add more loomi or sugar as you think fit. 8 Loomi Lemons 1/2 cup or more to taste, sugar 1 gallon water Add a gallon of water to loomi in a non-reactive pan. Bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes, turn gas off and cool. Strain and then add the sugar. Let sugar dissolve at room temperature. Taste for sugar and chill. Serve chilled with ice cubes. Note: You can also leave the loomi soaking in the gallon of water overnight. Bring to a boil, turn gas off and strain and add sugar. But the recipe above can be used when making it in a hurry. Also, chop the loomi into small pieces using a mortar and pestle. This brings out the flavor and sourness. In old days I am told grandmas would use their hands to crush the loomi as they soaked in the water.

Lemon Pickle: It is most common and most simple. It is made in the summer so that the intense summer sun can mature the fruit. The pickle is set out daily in the sun for the first three weeks or so. The sun helps in fermentation and in its antiseptic properties. The jars are brought in at night and left out again in the sun the following morning. People often choose very thin skinned lemons or limes. They also make sure there are no blemishes on the fruit. The pickle can be served after 4 weeks or so but it is best after three or four months. It even gets better after a year or more. I was quoted in an article by Fruit Detective David Karp in which he mentioned my grandmothers 60 year old citric pickle. It becomes medicinal by then. Or so we choose to believe. The pickle is all crystallized and is used by me to cure stomach ailments that friends and I may have. My maternal grandmother in San Francisco uses the lemons bursting from her lemon trees to pickle in the summer. She also freezes their juice as ice cubes to be used later in the year. NIMBU KAA ACHAAR (SOUR LEMON PICKLE) DOZEN LEMONS 2 TSP. BLACK PEPPERCORNS 1 TSP. CUMIN SEEDS 5 CARDAMOM PODS 4 CLOVES 1/2 INCH CINNAMON STICK 1/8 TSP MACE POWDER 1/8 TSP NUTMEG, FRESHLY GROUND 3 TSP. RED PEPPER POWDER 2 TSP. CAROM SEEDS (AJOWAIN) 1 TSP. CRUSHED RED PEPPER FLAKES 1 TSP. ASAFETIDA (HEENG) 2 TSP. GINGER POWDER 9 TBSP. SALT CLEAN AND WASH THE LIMES OR LEMONS. SET THEM IN THE SUN FOR A FEW HOURS OR DRY THEM IN A WARM OVEN FOR A FEW MINUTES. CUT EACH OF THEM IN HALF AND THEN EACH OF THOSE HALVES INTO 6-8 WEDGES. SAVE THE JUICE IN A CONTAINER AND SET ASIDE. DRY THESE WEDGES IN THE SUN FOR A DAY. GRIND THE BLACK PEPPERCORNS, CUMIN SEEDS, CARDAMOM, CLOVES AND CINNAMON INTO A POWDER. COMBINE THE RED PEPPER POWDER, FLAKES, MACE, NUTMEG, ASAFETIDA, GINGER POWDER, CAROM SEEDS AND SALT. ADD THE SPICE MIX TO THIS. ADD ANY OF THE JUICE THAT WAS SET ASIDE. MIX ALL OF THIS WELL AND IN A BOWL. PRESS THE WEDGES AS YOU MIX THE SPICES AND THE FRUIT. PACK THIS MIX INTO A STERILIZED, 1-QUART JAR AND SEAL TIGHTLY. SET THE JAR IN THE SUN EVERY DAY FOR THE NEXT 4 WEEKS. SHAKE THE JAR 3-4 TIMES EACH DAY. AFTER THE 4TH WEEK, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PUT THE JAR IN THE SUN, BUT SHAKE THE JAR A FEW TIMES EACH DAY FOR ANOTHER WEEK. KEEP IT IN A DRY PLACE. LET THE PICKLE MATURE AND FERMENT FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER MONTH OR TWO. ONCE YOU OPEN THE PICKLE, REFRIGERATE IT AND ALSO MAKE SURE TO ALWAYS USE CLEAN AND DRY FLATWARE.

Shiewie, What a great post, thanks. Would you have a recipe for Roti Canai? It also happens to be my favorite dish in Malaysian cooking. I love the plain Roti Canai and also the Telur. I also happen to love the simple curry the serve with them. Do you make t hese at home? Or do you always eat these at the stalls? I ate them only at the stalls... and they were so much better than any we find in NYC. Much lighter and the curry just so much more flavorful.

FIVE LENTIL DAAL WITH TOMATO, CURRYLEAVES AND MUSTARD SEEDS (Punchkuti Daal) Makes about 2 quarts This is a fairly complicated and wonderfully tasty daal. If you don’t have all five of the different lentils, try it with 1 1/2 cups of the massor dal and 3/4 cup of the channa dal instead. This daal is particularly interesting because it shows how spices can be added in a variety of different ways within the same dish. The way that the spices are treated determines their flavor. So ground spices are cooked into the lentils, and then more spices are added at the end in the form of two different tarkas. The flavor of the raw spices is absorbed into the lentils to add a very gentle, subtle taste. The tarkas add a sharper, more distinctive note to the dish. 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 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 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 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.