Recipe of the week: Asparagus Dal

Ingredients
1 cup toor daal ( yellow lentils )
6-8 fresh asparagus sticks
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1 tsp turmeric powder
2-3 medium sized green chillies
Handful fresh coriander leaves ,chopped
8-10 curry leaves
a pinch of garam masala (optional)
4-5 tbsp of oil/ghee
salt to taste
Preparation
Pressure cook the toor daal ( lentils ).
Chop the asparagus sticks into 2 inches.
Heat oil /ghee in pot, add mustard seeds, when they splutter, add cumin seeds, asafoetida and the curry leaves.
Then add the green chillies. Sauté a bit.
Add the asparagus sticks and sauté for a few minutes .
Then cover with lid and cook on slow fire for a while.
When asparagus is tender (it should not become too mushy), add turmeric, the cooked toor dal and season with salt.
Add a pinch of garam masala ( optional )
Add water to make it as thick or thin as you like. Ideally, the consistency should be medium.
Boil the daal and then add chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot with rice or chapatis.