Five lentils simmered thick and smoky, hit twice with ghee tempering, served with dark bajra rotis torn straight off the tawa.

Ingredients

From the TrooFoodz pantry

• Sprouted Bajra Flour 2 cups

Fresh

• Toor dal 1/4 cup
• Chana dal 1/4 cup
• Moong dal 1/4 cup
• Urad dal 2 tbsp
• Whole masoor 2 tbsp
• Tomatoes, chopped 2
• Ginger-garlic paste 1 tbsp
• Dried red chillies 3
• Cumin seeds 1 1/2 tsp
• Cloves 3
• Bay leaf 1
• Coriander powder 1 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder 1 tsp
• Turmeric 3/4 tsp
• Garam masala 1 tsp
• Amchur 1 tsp
• Ghee 5 tbsp
• Salt 2 tsp
• Hot water 1 1/2 cups (for the dough)
• Coriander leaves, chopped 1/4 cup

Method

1. Soak the five

   Rinse all five lentils together and soak 30 minutes. Chana and urad are the slowest, and soaking brings all five to roughly the same cooking time.

2. Pressure cook soft

   Cook with turmeric, salt and three cups of water for five whistles, then let the pressure fall naturally so the dal finishes soft rather than seized.

3. First tempering

   Heat 3 tbsp ghee, crackle cumin, cloves and bay leaf, add ginger-garlic paste and fry until the raw smell goes, then the tomatoes, coriander powder and chilli powder. Cook until the fat separates.

4. Marry and simmer

   Pour the cooked dal into the masala, mash a ladleful against the side of the pot to thicken it, and simmer 12 minutes so the lentils take on the spice.

5. Knead the roti

   While it simmers, scald the Sprouted Bajra Flour with hot water and a teaspoon of salt, knead warm, and pat 15 cm rotis between your palms.

6. Cook the rotis

   Cook each roti on a medium tawa, two minutes a side, then finish briefly over direct flame until it swells and freckles.

7. Second tempering

   Heat the last 2 tbsp ghee, snap in the dried chillies, take it off the flame and pour it over the dal with the amchur, garam masala and coriander.

Why this works

Five lentils give five textures — chana stays nutty and whole, moong dissolves into body — and mashing a portion against the pot releases starch that thickens the dal without flour. The second tempering goes in at the very end so the chilli and garam masala keep their volatile aroma instead of cooking off.

Make it your own

• Whole masoor → Split masoor Breaks down faster and makes the dal creamier.
• Amchur → Tamarind pulp Use 1 tsp; deeper, fruitier sourness.
• Ghee → Mustard oil Sharper and more rustic; smoke it before tempering.
• Sprouted Bajra Flour → Sprouted Jowar Flour Paler, milder roti that lets the dal lead.