Spiced Dal with Root Vegetables

Ingredients

• 1 cup Dal (Toor, Masoor, or Val) (Originally '1 tipri'. Use Toor (pigeon pea), Masoor (red lentil), or Val (hyacinth bean) dal.)
• 4 ounces Red Bananas (Originally '0.25 seer'. Peeled and chopped into chunks. Regular bananas can be substituted if red are unavailable.)
• 4 ounces Sweet Potato (Originally '0.25 seer'. Peeled and chopped into chunks.)
• 4 ounces Onion (Originally '0.25 seer'. Chopped.)
• 4 tablespoons Ghee (Originally '1 navtank' (approx 2 oz).)
• 1 ounce Tamarind (Originally '2.5 tolas'. Use seedless tamarind soaked in water to extract pulp.)
• 2 teaspoons Salt (Originally '1 tola'. Adjust to taste.)
• 1 teaspoon Ginger paste (Originally '0.5 tola'.)
• 1 clove Garlic (Originally '5 val' (approx 1.5g). Minced.)
• 2 tablespoons Coriander-Cumin Powder (Dhana-Jeera) (Originally 'heaped' amount.)
• 4 cups Water (Estimated for boiling dal and adjusting consistency.)

Instructions

1. 1Rinse the chosen dal (Toor, Masoor, or Val) thoroughly. Place in a pot with about 3-4 cups of water and boil until soft and tender. Whisk slightly to smooth the texture.
2. 2While the dal is boiling, peel and chop the sweet potatoes and red bananas into bite-sized chunks. Finely chop the onion. Soak the tamarind in a small amount of warm water and extract the pulp.
3. 3In a separate pan or the same pot (if dal is set aside), heat the ghee. Add the chopped onions, ginger paste, and minced garlic. Sauté until the onions are translucent and fragrant.
4. 4Add the sautéed onion mixture, chopped sweet potatoes, red bananas, and coriander-cumin powder to the cooked dal. Stir in the tamarind pulp and salt. Simmer gently for about 10-15 minutes until the sweet potatoes and bananas are tender but hold their shape.