Step 1

Soak the dried lentils in a bowl with twice the amount of water for a minimum of an hour. If the soak time is skipped, simply cook the lentils for longer until soft.

Step 2

In a pot on medium heat, sauté the onions and cumin seeds in oil until the onions begin to brown.

Step 3

Then, add in the rest of the spices, ginger garlic paste, and diced tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes soften.

Step 4

Once the tomatoes are cooked, pour in the dal with about 3 cups of water and stir everything together. Cover the pot with a lid and allow it to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every now and then and checking the water levels to see if it needs more liquid.

Step 5

The dal is done once it is creamy and soft. The amount of water is based off of preference, it can be a bit soupy or close to dry. Take it off heat and add in a handful of chopped cilantro. Serve with rice or roti.