This is my standard, go-to dinner on a too-tired-to-think-about-what-to-order day. The best part about dal is that most of the ingredients are optional. When you hear the word paruppu in a south Indian household, more often than not, it is just plain, boiled lentil with possibly a dash of salt. Lentils are a staple in both southern and northern parts of India. In the South, it is commonly referred to as pappu/paruppu while in the north, it is called dal. There are lots of varieties of lentils and so many different ways to incorporate them in a meal. But you are not here for a wikipedia lesson so I'm going to dive right into the recipe.

P.S - I used a pressure cooker because I wasn't ready to spend more than 15 mins in the kitchen but you can make it in a slow cooker or on a low flame for what will seem like an eternity.

Ingredients :

1. Toor dal - 1 cup

2. Water - 2 cups

3. Salt - to taste

4. Turmeric - 1 tsp

5. Onion - 1 (chopped)

6. Garlic - 2 peeled pods

7. Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) - 1 tsp

8. Tomato - 1

9. Cilantro - 1 handful

10. chilli powder - 1 tsp (I used kashmiri chilli, a mild variety)

11. Oil - 2 tbsp

12. Jeera - 1 tsp

13. Ghee / clarified butter - 1 tbsp

Procedure :

1. Wash the dal and keep aside. In a pan, saute jeera first followed by onions and garlic with turmeric, chilli powder and salt in 2 tbsp oil.

2. Once the onions soften (about 2 mins), add tomatoes, kasuri methi and cook for 1 minute.

3. Add the washed dal, water and pressure cook for 5 whistles.

4. When pressure dies down, open the pressure cooker, top with a generous amount of ghee, garnish with cilantro leaves and serve.