Dal

Ingredients:

1 cup masoor dal (split red lentils) (you can use a different type of dal too)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
Some vegetable oil
½ chopped onion
½ chopped green pepper
½ cup chopped squash
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1-2 dried red chillies
8 black peppercorns
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
4 green cardamom pods (without the pods)
Some salt to taste
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
Some cooked basmati rice

First we will prepare the lentils. To do this we will rinse the dal thoroughly. Do this till the water is clear. Then we will put four cups of water in a pan and bring to boil. Now we will add the dal. Cook gently and before they are completely cooked remove from the fire and reserve.
While the dal is being cooked, we will prepare some spices. We will take a mortar and will grind the chillies, the peppercorns, the mustard seeds, the coriander seeds, the cumin seeds, and the cardamom pods. The next step will be to put some vegetable oil in a frying pan and sauté the onion and the green pepper. A couple of minutes later we will add the squash. Finally we will add the ginger and the garlic. We can use other vegetables too. For example, eggplant is a good idea. Now we will add the spices to the frying pan with the onion, the green pepper, the ginger and the garlic. We will stir well.
We will add this to the dal now. We will cook the dal for five minutes more, simmering on low heat. If we need to add more water, we will do it now. This water should be warm.
Just before serving, add some salt if it is needed, the cilantro and the ground cardamom. Serve with basmati rice. Enjoy your Dal!