Wash the dal well and boil it in the pressure cooker with little salt, turmeric powder and 1 tsp. oil for about 5-6 whistles. I prefer to use half moong dal (yellow) + half toor dal because the toor dal itself is very heavy. So it can be made both ways: half-half both or complete toor dal.

When boiled, keep aside. Heat oil in a pan on medium flame and add cumin seeds when hot. Let them crackle and add asafoetida. After about 30 seconds, add chopped onions and fry them until they become transparent. Don't let them brown.

Add chopped garlic and sauté it for about a minute. Then add tomato, green chilli and ginger. Mix well and fry for about a minute. Add turmeric powder, salt (minus that used in boiling dal) and red chilli powder. Cook well until the tomatoes are mushy and the paste starts to leave oil.

Now the masala is ready. Add 1 big spoonful dal from the cooker to the pan and mix well. Transfer all the contents of the pan to the cooker. You might want to add more water and adjust the consistency accordingly.

Let it boil on low flame for about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and add garam masala and kasoori methi powder. Without stirring, close the lid and let it sit for 10 minutes. This will distribute the aroma of the spices in the dal.

Open the cooker, mix well, garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with jeera rice. It can also be eaten with roti or paratha.