Dal, dhal, daal whichever way you want them

Once again I've dipped into my newly acquired Indian cookbook and tried out this recipe for dal, or lentil soup. Albeit a bit on the spicy side, it was very tasty so feel free to add a bit less chili:

Ingredients:

225g red split lentils, washed
2 cloves
1/2 cinnamon stick
4 black pepper corn
1 l. water
2.5 cm fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 tbsp butter
2 onions
3 tomatoes
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp hot chili powder (or less)
1 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp salt to taste
Fresh cilantro

Prep the ingredients.

Start by rinsing the lentils very carefully to get rid of any dirt and dust. Add them to a pot with the cinnamon, cloves and pepper corn. Bring it to a boil.

Once boiling, cut a cross at one end of your tomatoes and put them in the boiling water for 10 seconds. This will help you peel the skin off. Remove any foam on the lentils with a spoon. Cook partially covered for 25-30 minutes until soft but not yet falling apart.

Melt the butter. Add the mustard seed. When they start crackling, add the cumin seeds.

Fry the onion in the butter until golden brown.

While the onions are frying, finely chop or grate the garlic and ginger. Blend them with the tomatoes.

When the onions get some colour, add the tumeric, chili and garam masala. Fry for about a minute.

Pour in the tomatoes. Cook for a couple of minutes.

Then pour the tomatoes into the cooked lentils. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add a handful of fresh, chopped coriander. Serve with some naan bread or chapaties.