Shahi Dal

Photo: flickr user Aaron Gustafson

Ingredients

2 cups Pigeon peas, soaked for 20 minutes in cold water

quart Water

1 teaspoon Turmeric

1 Cinnamon stick

teaspoon Black peppercorns

3 Bay leaves

6 Green cardamoms

6 Cloves

Salt

cup Ghee

1 medium Onion, sliced finely

1 1 1/2" piece ginger, chopped

4 Garlic cloves

2 Fresh green chilies, chopped

1 lrg Tomato, chopped

Preparation

Wash pigeon peas & boil them in the water with the turmeric, cinnamon, peppercorns, bay leaves, cardamom, cloves & salt for 20 minutes till the peas are cooked (may take longer if peas are old). Heat ghee in a skillet, cook onion, garlic, ginger & chilies till the onion is browned. Remove & stir into the cooked pigeon peas. Add tomato, cover & simmer for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Serve with rice.

Rani, "Feast of India"