The Indian split peas, arhar dal and toovar (or toor) dal, are closely related. Both are the hulled and split descendants of the pigeon pea. Arhar, the North Indian version, is milder in flavor, whereas toovar, used in West and South India, tends to be darker and earthier. Use whichever you can find. If you cannot find either, use yellow split peas. Serve with rice or Indian flatbreads. Add a vegetable and relishes to complete the meal. Non-vegetarians may add meat or fish, if they like.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4¿6

　　1 cup arhar dal (or any other split peas), washed and drained

　　1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

　　1 1/2 teaspoons salt

　　1/4–3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

　　3 tablespoons olive or canola oil or ghee

　　1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

　　1/2 teaspoon whole brown mustard seeds

　　15–20 fresh curry leaves, if available, or 10 fresh basil leaves

　　1 medium onion, chopped

　　2 medium tomatoes, chopped

　　

Step 1

Put the dal and 4 1/2 cups water in a medium pan. Bring to a boil and remove the froth that rises to the top. Turn heat to low and add the turmeric. Stir, cover partially, and simmer gently for an hour. Add the salt and cayenne. Stir. Cover partially again and simmer gently for about 10 minutes or until you finish the next step.

　　

Step 2

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. When it is very hot, put in the cumin and mustard seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds pop, a matter of seconds, add the curry leaves and onions. Stir and fry until the onions have softened a bit and turned brown at the edges. Add the tomatoes and stir on medium-low heat until the tomatoes have softened a bit also, about 2 minutes. Pour the contents of the frying pan into the pan with the dal and stir it in.

　　Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Buy the full book from Amazon.