Smoked Sultani Dal

For cooking the dal: Rinse the dal a few times under running water then soak in water for 30 minutes to an hour.

Take the soaked dal and put it in a pot, then add enough water to it so that the lentils are submerged. Now add in the salt along with the turmeric powder and bring it to a boil on medium-high heat.

Once it is boiling, reduce the heat to low-medium and let it simmer with the pot partially covered with a lid. Let it cook for 15-20 minutes, until it softens. Add extra water only if needed as you don’t want it to be too runny.

In a small bowl, mix together milk with yogurt to form a homogeneous mixture. Set it aside.

Once the dal has softened and thickened, use the back of the ladle to mash it well. Mix in the milk and yogurt mixture and let it simmer on low heat for 10 minutes until it thickens up a bit. Add in extra milk if needed.

For smoking: Place a piece of coal in a small metallic bowl and heat it up until it is red hot. Carefully transfer the bowl with the coal and place it in the pot with the cooked dal.

Now pour some ghee on the hot coal and immediately cover the the pot with a lid for smoking. Put something heavy on top on the lid to seal it. Smoke for an 1 hour. You can reduce the smoking time according to your own taste. Discard the coal and mix the dal.

For tempering: Melt the ghee in a small pan on medium heat. As it starts to melt, add in the whole dry red chili. Cook it for a minute then add in the chopped onions.

Fry it until it is soft and translucent. Add in the ginger- garlic paste and sauté it for a minute.

Reduce the heat then add coriander powder, cumin powder, chili powder, crushed cardamom and clove powder. Be careful not to burn the spices. Mix this cooked spice mixture to the pot with the cooked dal.

Mix in the cream and saffron to the tempered dal. Then mix in the amchur powder. Add in more salt if needed.

Enjoy it hot with roti or rice.