Ingredients

1. Toor dal – 1/2 cup
2. Tomatoes – 3
3. Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp
4. Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
5. Green chillies – 9
6. Garlic – 2
7. Water – 2 cups
8. Oil – 1 tsp

Tadka

9. Oil – 3 tsp
10. Onion (small) – 1
11. Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
12. Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
13. Dry chillies – 3
14. Garlic (crushed) – 2
15. Curry leaves - 12

Method

1. Chop the tomatoes and keep it aside.
2. Can slit the chillies or with your finger itself can break it into 2 each chilli.
3. First boil dal with turmeric powder, green chillies, garlic, cumin powder, tomatoes, water and a tsp oil in a pressure cooker .(can add 2tbsp of onion but optional). Close the lid of pressure cooker and cook the dal till it is cooked soft or after 4 whistles, can switch it off.
4. Oil is added to avoid the froth, boiling from the cooker. Wait till the valve pressure is released from the cooker.
5. When you open the lid, you can see that all are cooked well.
6. When the dal is cooked well, smash it with a spoon or with a wooden smasher, the tomatoes and other ingredients should blend well with the dal.
7. Add salt and water 1cup as per the consistency of the dal, mix well.

Tadka

8. Now take a separate vessel, add oil, let it get warm, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, let it splutter ,then add onion, fry till it is light golden brown then garlic, dry chillies, curry leaves, fry well, till garlic is light brown.
9. As soon as the onion and garlic are golden brown, add immediately to dal , and close the lid.(so that thadka flavour should not go outside).
10. If the dal is thick can add water and mix it according to your consistency.
11. Serve it with rice, with a drizzle of ghee on it or just plain roti or chapathi, with any side dish vegetarian or non-vegeterian.

Notes

1. The amount of water added in a cooker should not exceed the limit of pressure cooker, otherwise it will come out.
2. While boiling dal, tsp oil is added, so that boiling should not come outside the pressure cooker, the froth of dal.
3. Never add salt, in a dal during cooking, otherwise it will take more time. Always add salt in the last, after cooking. If mango is added with dal during cooking, dal will not get cooked well, as it is sour.
4. In thadka you can avoid onions and can use the rest of the ingredients.
5. Usually in every dal , my mother adds jeera - methi powder (cumin and fenugreek seeds powder), if it is not there can add just cumin powder or can just avoid it.
6. Can add 1/2tsp tamarind thick paste or pulp as per the dal, if you want to reduce the spiciness.