Use oil instead of ghee, and bingo – it’s vegan.

I already adapted this from a five-dal recipe to a four-dal recipe, so you can of course use as many or as few different dals as you like/have available.

And yes, I definitely need a course in food photography. Am starting to look at the ones on KelbyOne. If for nothing else then for tips on how to make a dal not look like the dog’s vomit.

• 300 g part masoor dal, black urad dal, mung dal and chana dal 
• 2 tablespoons Ghee
• 1 heaped teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• 2 red onions, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 knob Ginger, grated or very finely chopped
• 2 bay leaves (tej patta)
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken
• 2 tins tomato
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder (Haldi)
• 2 teaspoons red chili flakes or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
• Salt to taste, and a hefty dose of freshly ground black pepper

Soak the dals in plenty of water for about three hours.

Roast the cumin seeds in the ghree till they crackle.

Add onion, ginger and garlic, and sautée until the onion softens.

Add the bayleaf and cinnamon stick and sautée for a few seconds.

Add the tomatoes, turmeric powder, chili flakes and asafoetida, sautée, stirring.

Add the dals, salt to taste and water to cover the dal by at least two cm.

Bring to the boil and simmer till the dal is cooked, 45 minutes to an hour, checking regularly for texture and adding water if necessary.

If you want a creamier texture, use an immersion blender till you have the texture you want.