Excerpted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer. 

Recipe from Pyaaz Waale Sabud Masoor.

The lentils in this brown curry will retain their shape, no matter how long they cook. So if texture is important to you, this is your dal. But let me throw in an additional incentive: the sweet, onion-kissed flavor tweaked with tiny morsels of pungent chiles. Drizzle a tablespoon of ghee over the curry just before serving it for an added richness.

Brown Lentils with Chunky Onion and Chiles

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole brown lentils (sabud masoor), picked over for stones
• 1 medium-size red onion, cut in half lengthwise, and then cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons Ghee (see recipe) or canola oil
• 1 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
• 1½ teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 3 to 5 fresh green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chiles, to taste, stems removed, cut crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices (do not remove the seeds)

Instructions

1. Place the lentils in a medium-size bowl. Fill the bowl halfway with water and rinse the lentils by rubbing them between your fingertips. The water will become slightly cloudy. Drain this water. Repeat three or four times, until the water remains relatively clear; drain. Now fill the bowl halfway with hot water and let it sit on the counter, covered with plastic wrap, until the lentils soften, at least 8 hours or as long as overnight.
2. Drain the lentils and transfer them to a medium-size saucepan. Add the onion and 4 cups water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Skim off and discard any foam that rises to the surface. Lower the heat to medium, cover partially, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.
3. While the lentils are cooking, heat the ghee in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds, cover the skillet, and cook until the seeds have stopped popping (not unlike popcorn), about 30 seconds. Stir in all the remaining ingredients and lower the heat to medium (to prevent excess spattering when the tomato paste hits the hot ghee). Simmer, uncovered stirring occasionally, until some of the ghee starts to separate around the edges, about 2 minutes.
4. Scrape the lush red sauce into the cooked lentils. Transfer a spoonful of the dal to the skillet and stir it around to get every bit of flavor; pour this back into the saucepan. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the lentils have absorbed the seasonings, about 5 minutes. Then serve.