Step 1

Prepare the toor dal by cooking it with turmeric, salt, and 3 cups of water using a pressure cooker, Instant Pot, or by boiling in a pot until it reaches an 'al dente' texture. Set aside.

Step 2

While the dal is cooking, crush 4 large garlic cloves, .5 inch piece of ginger, and a green chili in a mortar and pestle. Set aside.

Step 3

Heat ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Once hot, add cumin seeds, crushed coriander seeds, and cloves. Sauté for a few seconds until fragrant.

Step 4

Add onions and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until they become soft and start to change color.

Step 5

Stir in the crushed garlic-ginger-green chili mixture and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the raw smell dissipates.

Step 6

Add chopped tomatoes along with .5 teaspoon of salt. Cover and cook for 7 to 8 minutes until the tomatoes are very soft and cooked

Step 7

Stir in coriander powder, garam masala, Kashmiri red chili powder, regular red chili powder, cilantro, and kasuri methi. Sauté the spices with the masala for about 30 seconds.

Step 8

Add the boiled dal to the pan and mix. If the dal appears too thick, add 1/2 cup of water. Let the dal simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.

Step 9

For the tempering or tadka, heat 2 teaspoons of ghee in a small pan. Once hot, add 2 chopped garlic cloves, dried red chilies. Cook for about a minute until the garlic starts to change color. Add Kashmiri red chili powder, then remove the pan from heat. Pour the tempering over the dal and mix.

Step 10

Garnish it with cilantro and serve!

Notes:

It's important to cook the onions thoroughly before adding the tomatoes. If the onions start to brown too quickly, add water periodically to prevent burning. For a smoother curry, you can blend the onions and tomatoes after frying them for a bit, then return the mixture to the pan for further cooking.  Towards the end, consider mashing some of the beans to add a buttery and hearty texture to the curry.