Dal Fry

Mix all the lentils in a bowl and wash them 2-3 times by rubbing with your fingers. To soak all the lentils, add water to the bowl and keep it aside for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile chop the items like onion, tomato, coriander leaves and green chili. Also make garlic and ginger paste. If you have ready-made paste then you can use it but fresh ginger garlic paste gives more flavor.

After 10 minutes, using a sieve remove all excess water from the lentils, transfer the lentils to a pressure cooker. Add salt and 1 ¹/₂ cups of water and close the pressure cooker lid.

Cook it on high heat first and after one whistle, reduce the heat and cook it on medium heat for 3 more whistles. After 4 whistles, turn off the gas and let it release pressure automatically.

Tempering

For tempering, take a pan and put ghee in it and heat it on high heat. When the ghee becomes hot, reduce the heat to medium and add cumin, cinnamon, dry red chilli and cloves and cook a 30 - 40 seconds.

Add chopped onion and fry the onion till light brown while stirring continuously. It will take about 1 minute.

Now add crushed ginger, garlic and chopped green chillies and fry it for about 30 - 40 seconds while stirring continuously. Add chopped tomatoes and salt until tomatoes are soft, stir continuously.

Add dried spices like garam masala, coriander powder, red chilli powder, chaat masala and turmeric powder and mix well. Tempering is ready.

When the full pressure is released from cooker, open the cooker. Add the tempering to the pressure cooker with the lentils and mix well.

Cook the lentils with tempering in an open cooker for about 4 - 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Transfer the dal fry in a bowl and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Dal fry is ready to be served. Serve hot dal fry with roti or rice.