Serves: 4
Total Calories: 878

2 to 3 tablespoons Tamarind Paste
1/4 cup EACH, red lentils, and split pigeon peas, sorted and washed in 3 to 4 changes of water
2 tablespoons EACH, yellow mung beans, and white urad beans, sorted and washed in 3 to 4 changes of water
1 medium russet potato (or any kind), chopped (peeled or unpeeled)
1 large tomato, chopped
1 piece pumpkin (3-inch), finely chopped
1 small Chinese or Japanese eggplant, finely chopped
2 small onions, 1 coarsely chopped and 1 cut in half lengthwise and thinly slcied
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh fenugreek leaves, or 1/4 cup dried
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro including soft stems, + more for garnish
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
3 to 5 fresh green chili peppers, such as serrano, minced with seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
3 cups water
1 tablespoon Basic Ginger-Garlic Paste or store-bought
2 tablespoons Gujarati Lentil Masala or store-bought
1 1/2 tablespoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 teaspoons Garam Masala
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 to 2 tablespoon ground jaggery (gur)

1. Prepare the tamarind paste. Then, place all the dals in a pressure cooker along with the potato, tomato, pumpkin, eggplant, chopped onion, fenugreek leaves, cilantro, mint, green chili peppers, turmeric, salt, and water. Secure the lid and cook over high heat until the regulator indicates high pressure, then cook 30 seconds more. Remove from the heat and allow the pot to depressurize on its own, 12 to 15 minutes. Carefully open the lid, let cool, then blend in the pot with a hand-held immersion mixer, or transfer to a food processor or blender, process to make a thick and smooth puree, then return to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the ginger-garlic paste and lentil masala. Then, in a small bowl mix together the ginger-garlic paste, coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper, and garam masala with 1 to 2 tablespoons water to make a thick paste.

3. Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the sliced onions, stirring, until golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the spice paste and Gujaratie masala and stir until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Mix into the dal along with the tamarind and jaggery, and simmer over low heat, 5 to 7 minutes. (Add some water if the dal seems too thick.) Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with the cilantro, and serve.

From "1,000 Indian Recipes." Copyright 2002 by Neelam Batra. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 4
Total Calories: 878
Calories from Fat: 138

More Recipes from the 1000 Indian Recipes Cookbook:
* Dried Beans, Lentils, and Peas
Basic South Indian Soupy Split Pigeon Peas
Black Beans in Traditional Curry Sauce
Black Chickpeas with Chickpea Masala
Black Chickpeas with Sizzlilng Ginger and Cumin Seeds
Black Urad Beans in a Slow Cooker
Black-Eyed Peas in Yogurt Curry
Canister Chickpeas (or Dried Yellow Peas)
Chickpeas in Traditional Curry Sauce
Chickpeas with Ginger, Garlic, and Chaat Masala
Chickpeas with Spinach and Potato Wedges
Chutney Chickpeas with Tamarind
Classic Kidney Bean Curry with Onions
Classic No-Onion Kidney Bean Curry
Crispy Split Pigeon Pea Cake
Curried Black-Eyed Peas
Dry-Cooked Green Split Peas
Dry-Cooked Red Lentils with Cumin Seeds
Falguni's Gujarati Split Pigeon Peas
Fresh Green Chickpeas with Lentil Nuggets
Garlicky Dried Green Peas Curry
Garlicky Yellow Mung Beans with Zucchini Wheels
Green Lentils with Sautéed Onion
Gujarati Green Mung Beans with Green Masala Paste
Hazram's Soupy Pigeon Peas
Kashmiri Fennel-Flavored Black Urad Beans with Yogurt
Kashmiri Small Red Beans
Madras-Style Pigeon Peas with Vegetables
Mustard-Roasted Adzuki Beans
Parsi Mixed Lentils, Beans, and Vegatables
Pickle-Flavored Chickpeas
Punjabi Black Urad Beans
Punjabi Dry-Cooked Yellow Mung Beans
Punjabi Green Mung Beans with Sizzling Ginger
Punjabi Red Beans with Mango Pickle Masala
Punjabi-Style Split Pigeon Peas
Rajasthani Mixed 5 Beans and Lentils
Red Lentils with Bengali 5-Spices
Roasted Green Lentils with Tomatoes
Roasted Yellow Mung Beans and Potatoes
Sindhi Dry-Cooked Yellow Mung Beans
Small White Beans with Indian Spices
Smoked Black Urad Beans
Soupy Split Pigeon Peas with Jaggery
Spicy Adzuki Beans
Spicy Chickpeas with Pomegranate Seeds
Spicy Dried Yellow Peas
Spicy Dry-Cooked Split Green Mung Beans
Spicy Mixed 5 Beans and Lentils
Spicy Soybeans in Yogurt Sauce
Spicy Split Black Urad Beans with Split Chickpeas
Spit Pigeon Peas with Coconut and Vegetables
Split Urad Beans and Yellow Split Chickpeas with Spinach
Stir-Fried Black Urad Beans
White Urad Beans with Fresh Lemon Juice
White Urad Beans with Roasted Fenugreek Leaves
Yellow Mung Beans with Fresh Curry Leaves
Yellow Mung Beans with Sautéed Onion and Ginger
Yellow Split Chickpeas with Spinach
Yellow Split Chikpeas with Opo Squash