Dal is an essential part of Indian cuisine, especially for the vegetarians because it is the main source of protein for them. Making dal is a two step process. First step is to boil it in salt and turmeric so that it becomes soft. Second step is to garnish it with a tempering/tadka/chaunk of your choice.

Most of the dals need at least 4 times the water but the cooking duration depends on the dal itself. Whole lentils take longer than the split ones. Moong dal takes the least amount of time, while kidney beans or bengal gram take the longest.

Tempering can be as simple as ghee + jeera/mustard seeds + heeng/asafoetida + red chilli powder. You can add a lot of fragrant spices in the tempering. Onion, ginger, garlic and tomatoes can also added to make it little thick.

It is necessary to add something sour to dal to make it more tasty, like dry mango powder, lime juice, tamarind or imli or tomatoes. Also since dal can be gaseous, it is essential to add heeng or asafoetida to it to reduce the effect.

Finally, it is garnished with cilantro leaves and served hot with rice or roti.