Panchkuti Daal

This is a fairly complicated and wonderfully tasty daal. If you don't have all five of the different lentils, try it with 1 1/2 cups of the massor dal and 3/4 cup of the channa dal instead.

This daal is particularly interesting because it shows how spices can be added in a variety of different ways within the same dish. The way that the spices are treated determines their flavor. So ground spices are cooked into the lentils, and then more spices are added at the end in the form of two different tarkas. The flavor of the raw spices is absorbed into the lentils to add a very gentle, subtle taste. The tarkas add a sharper, more distinctive note to the dish.

For the Daal

1/2 cup masoor dal (pink, split lentils), picked over1/2 cup moong dal, picked over1/2 cup toor dal, picked over3/4 cup channa dal, picked over1/4 cup urad dal, picked over8 cups cold water, or as neededSalt to taste1 medium onion, finely chopped3 cloves garlic, mashed to a paste (about 1/2 tablespoon)2 small hot green chiles, or 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped, with seeds1 tablespoon ground garam masala1/2 tablespoon ground cumin1/2 tablespoon ground coriander1 teaspoon turmeric1 teaspoon Indian red chili powder or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper1 1/2 cups chopped fresh or canned tomato1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice1/2 bunch fresh cilantro (about 1 firmly packed cup leaves), finely chopped

For the Tarkas

4 tablespoons ghee or canola oil1 medium onion, finely chopped3 cloves garlic, mashed to a paste (about 1/2 tablespoon)2 small hot green chiles, or 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped, with seeds6 fresh curry leaves1-inch stick cinnamon1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds1 teaspoon mustard seeds3 clovesPinch asafoetida

For the daal, wash and drain the lentils. Put them in a 3-quart saucepan with the 8 cups water, 1 tablespoon salt, onion, garlic paste and chopped fresh chiles. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer the lentils, partially covered, until they are tender, about 45 minutes.
Lower the heat to medium, add the garam masala, ground cumin and coriander, turmeric and chili powder and give the mixture a stir. Cover and simmer the daal 5 more minutes.
Add the tomatoes and simmer 15 more minutes. Add more water if the daal gets dry--it should be the consistency of a lentil soup, not thick and bound like a split pea soup.
Stir in the lemon juice, half of the cilantro and 2 more teaspoons salt. Then take the daal off the heat while you make the tarkas.
Pour 3 tablespoons of the ghee or oil into a small saucepan and warm over medium-high heat. Add the curry leaves and cook about 1 minute. Then add the onion and cook until it just begins to brown around the edges, 4 to 5 more minutes. Then add the garlic paste and chopped chiles and cook just to mellow the raw taste of the garlic, 10 to 15 seconds. Scrape this into the daal.
Pour the remaining tablespoon of the oil into the saucepan or a small kadai and warm it over medium-high heat. Add the cinnamon stick and cook it until you can smell it. Then add the whole cumin and mustard seeds, the cloves and the asafoetida and cook, stirring, until the mustard seeds start popping. Dump this mixture immediately into the daal and stir. Let the daal stand a few minutes to infuse it with the perfumed oil, then sprinkle with the remaining cilantro. Serve hot.