Dhaba Style Smoked Dal

Soak all the dals for about an hour in water.

Cook the dal in a pressure cooker with salt, turmeric and water.

Heat a tbsp of ghee in a pan.

Add the Onions, Ginger, Garlic and Green Chillies and saute for a few minutes or until the onions are light brown.

Add the tomatoes and Coriander Powder, Turmeric Powder, Red Chilli Powder, Salt and saute until you smell the aromas coming through.

Once the tomatoes are cooked, add the cooked dal in it.

Now the final step is to add the smoked flavor and to prepare the tempering.

To smoke the dal heat charcoal until red hot over the gas burner (direct flame). Once the coal is red hot, place it in a heatproof bowl.

Place this bowl on top of the cooked dal. Drizzle a teaspoon of ghee over the hot coal. The coal will begin to smoke almost instantly. At this stage, cover the dal pan and allow the smoke to circulate inside. This process of smoking a dal is called Dhungar.

After about a minute, open the dal pan and you will see the smoke effect has withered. Transfer the Smoked Dhaba Dal to a serving bowl.

For the seasoning/Tempering

Heat a teaspoon of ghee in a small pan.

Add the cumin seeds, the slivered garlic, and red chillies.

Allow the cumin to crackle for a few seconds and turn off the heat.

Pour this seasoning over the Smoked Dhaba Dal.