Punjabi Dal Tadka

I made this Punjabi Dal tadka along with this Aloo curry for a mini Punjabi meal. Recipe for the dal is from a Telugu cooking show and I have made it quite a few times already.

Like any dal, this is very easy to make and is very hearty and comforting dish. It is a simple dish but tastes amazing and the lovely thing about this dish is it can whipped up for a simple dal-chawal menu on a weeknight or can be served with naans and jeera rice for a party.
This recipe uses a combination of toor and chana dals. I think the highlight of the dish is the final ghee tempering or tadka on the dal -- it makes it taste awesome, hence the name dal tadka. This dal can be served with rice or roti.

Punjabi Dal Tadka
Ingredients:

• ½cup Toor dal
• ¼cup Chana dal
• 1 Medium Onion, finely chopped
• 2 Green Chilies, slit
• 1" Ginger, finely grated
• 2 Garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 Medium Tomato, finely chopped
• ¼tsp Kashmiri Red Chili powder (adjust as per taste)
• ¼tsp Turmeric
• 1tsp Ground Coriander
• To taste Salt
For the Tempering:
• 2 Dry Red Chilies
• 1tsp Cumin seeds
• ¼tsp Asafoetida/ Hing (optional)

Methox:

1. Cook toor dal & chana with turmeric until soft and almost mushy. Keep ready.
2. Heat 1tsp each of ghee and oil in a saucepan, add onion, green chilies, ginger and garlic; cook till the onions are lightly browned around the edges.
3. Add the chopped tomato, salt, red chili powder, turmeric and cook till the tomato is cooked and mushy.
4. Add the cooked dal mixture, enough water to get to desired consistency, coriander powder and simmer till the dal thickens just a little bit.
5. For the tempering: In a small pan, heat 1tsp each of ghee and oil, add red chilies, cumin seeds and hing (if using). Once the seeds splutter, pour the tadka over the cooked dal. Serve with rice or roti.

Also linking this to Valli's 'Cooking from Cookbook Challenge: March -- Week 4'.