Sabat Masoor

Add lentils, salt, sliced onion, crushed garlic and ginger, half of the black pepper and all ground spices up until the tadka in a medium-sized lidded saucepan.

Pour 5 cups of water and stir until well-mixed.

Bring to a boil and lower to a gentle simmer.

Cover with a tight-fitting lid, and let the dal cook until the lentils break easily with a fork, about 40 to 50 minutes.

Once the lentils have softened, remove the lid and increase the heat to medium-high.

Mash the lentils against the saucepan with a wooden spoon until you get a creamy consistency.

Top with the remaining black pepper, and let the lentils cook, uncovered, for an additional 10 minutes until it thickens some more.

Remove from heat and place in serving bowl.

For the tadka, in a small frying pan, heat oil over medium to medium-low heat until it begins to shimmer.

Place the onions and let them cook until they begin to brown, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Add sliced garlic, and fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute until it begins to brown at the edges.

Add cumin seeds and fry for a few seconds before adding the dried red chilies.

As soon as they change color, remove from heat and pour over dal.