I just created by blog id and thought I better write something. What to write? Sleepy - not many enlightened ideas are occurring to me right now. Well, shall I write about what I cooked tonight?

I had some lovely dal today for dinner. Here is how I made it and how you can make it.

Boil some yellow lentils (masoor - you will get in any Asian store) to the consistency of a smooth thick gravy.

Heat clarified butter (ghee) in a heavy-bottom deep pan, stir in 1 large bayleaf and fry thinly sliced onions till they are light brown. For 4 cups of cooked dal, you would need about a cup of chopped onions. Add to this about 1-2 large pods of garlic (crushed), a little asfoetida (hing), red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric, whole black peppers, 2-3 slit green chillies (if you want it hot!), salt and a ground mixture of green cardamom (2 pods), cloves (3-4) and cinamon (1-2 sticks). An alternative to this ground mixture - that is if you are lazy - is the garam masala that you get in any asian store. Stir and add 1/4 tspn of sugar. Now add tomatos (1/2 cup, finely chopped) and cook for 4-5 minutes on a medium flame.

Add the cooked dal to this, a little water, and bring it to a boil. Remove from heat and serve with rice.

If you love parseley, sprinkle some on top.

I had this with some burnt garlic mushroom rice - the recipe for that will come later!