Ingredients:

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
     1/2  cup           thur dal -- (papu)
   1      tablespoon    Bengal gram dal
   1      teaspoon      mustard seeds
   2      teaspoons     coriander seeds
     1/2  teaspoon      cumin seeds
     1/2  teaspoon      fenugreek seeds
   8                    peppercorns
   1      chunks        vegetables -- (tomato, onion,
                        -- squash, potato,
                        -- okra, raw banana,
                        -- etc.)
   1      small   piec  turmeric
   1      small   piec  asafetida -- (ingua)
   6                    red chiles
   2      tablespoons   coconut gratings
   2      sprigs        curry leaves
   1                    tamarind lump -- (the size of a
                        -- marble)
   2      tablespoons   oil
   1      bunch         coriander leaves
                        salt -- to taste

Preparation:

Wash thur dal thoroughly. Boil 1 liter of water. Drop dal in boiling water. Cook until soft. Take a little oil in a frying pan on another flame. Roast mustard, coriander, fenugreek, cumin, pepper, turmeric, red chiles, asafetida, Bengal gram dal, coconut gratings and 1 sprig of curry leaves - all in the same sequence, until brown. Grind all the roasted ingredients with tamarind to a fairly smooth paste. To the cooked thur dal, add vegetable pieces and a few coriander leaves. Cook until tender. Then add salt along with ground masala (paste made above) and some water. Boil well. When done, remove from flame. Garnish with bits of coriander leaves.