Pulses such as lentils (green, red, Le Puy), chick peas, dried green peas, split toor, some beans and other regional varieties are a common ingredient of a popular soup-like dish, across all of India. The dish is however much thicker than Western soups, and called dal or daal or pappu or paruppu. It is one of the primary sources of protein for a large number of Indian people, particularly in the rural area.
Above is a daal that has been been treated to tadka/tarka or chaunk, a tempering process that draws out the essential oils of many aromatic spices such as cumin seeds, black mustard seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, asafoetida, cassia, cloves, curry leaves, chopped onion, garlic, or tejpat leaves (in some cases, chilli pepper is added, others not).
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