Put the dahl in a big pot with five cups of water. Bring to a boil and remove any surface scum. Add the turmeric and ginger. Cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar, turn heat to low, and simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours or until the dahl is tender. Stir every 5 minutes or so during the last half hour of cooking to prevent sticking. All the water should be absorbed. Remove ginger slices. Add the salt and garam masala to the dahl, stir to mix.
Heat the ghee in a small frying pan over a medium flame. When hot, put in the cumin seeds. A couple seconds later, put in the garlic. Stir and fry until the garlic pieces are lightly browned. Put the chilli powder into the pan. Immediately lift the pan off the heat and pour its entire contents into the pot with the dahl. Stir to mix. Madhur Jaffrey4-6120Serve with rice. The red chilli powder is not chilli powder used in chilli's, this one is found at Indian and Pakistani grocery stores.1 1/2 cups chana dahl (or yellow split peas)5 cups water1/2 tsp ground tumeric2 thin slices of unpeeled ginger3/4-1 tsp salt1/4 tsp garam masala3 tbl ghee (clarified butter, but you can substitute veg oil)1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped1/4-1/2 tsp red chilli powder (can substitute cayenne pepper)