for about 4-5 people

Ingredients:
400 g Moong dal, unsoaked                                                         
1 liter Water                                                                                 
1 handful White onion, finely sliced in half rings                               
1 piece Long green chili, finely sliced                                            
3 pieces Green bird eye chili, finely sliced                                    
4 pieces Dried red round kashmiri chili                                           
100 g Garlic, minced                                                                   
2 handfuls / 2 ladlesTomato, peeled and finely diced                                       
1 small handful Curry leaves, picked off the branch                                   
1 piece Black cardamom                                                                
3 pieces Green cardamom, crushed with knife                               
1 tablespoon Cumin seeds                                                                   
1 tablespoon Coriander powder                                                             
2 teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder                                                         
2 teaspoons Black pepper, coarsely ground                                           
1 teaspoon Turmeric                                                                             
Salt to taste                                                                                     

Method

1.Wash the dal in a bowl or pot until the water runs clear and most of the cloudiness has disappeared. I usually wash the dal three times. Leave in water to soak overnight.

2. The next day in a large pot with a healthy splash of vegetable ghee fry half of the cumin seeds and the cardamoms until nice and fragrant.

3. Add the sliced onions and lightly saute in the pan until softened but not coloured.

4. Add the long green chili, green bird eye, half of the dried red kashmiri chilli, half of the curry leaves and half of the garlic.

5. When everything has come together after a couple of minutes add the tomatoes, a pinch of salt and the turmeric.

6. After the tomatoes have cooked down into a pulp add the rest of the spices: black pepper, kashmiri chili powder and coriander.

7. Let the lentils sizzle for a couple of minutes before adding the water.

8. Cover and let it boil, stirring often. Skim the scum that comes floating to the top.

10. Keep on boiling until the dal is properly cooked and the liquid is thickened. This may take quite some time (30-40 min). It should still remain soupy and not reduced too much.

11. Garnish (tarka): In a frying pan heat some vegetable ghee and fry the rest of the cumin seeds, the rest of the garlic, the rest of the curry leaves and the rest of red kashmiri chili. When the garlic has just hit golden brown add the pan to the finished dal moong. Make sure to get everything out of the frying pan by quickly adding a ladle of dal moong in the frying pan and dunking it back in the big pot straight away.