In a heavy medium saucepan, bring to a boil:

1 cup thoor dhal or yellow split peas (180 g)
2 ½ cup water
¼ tsp ground turmeric

Turn down heat, cover, and let simmer 30 to 45 minutes.

When dhal is tender, heat a heavy 3 quart saucepan. Add

2 Tbl vegetable oil

When the oil is hot, heat

¼ tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp mustard seeds
¼ tsp crushed red pepper

until mustard seeds begin to pop.

Turn the heat down to medium and add

1 cup chopped onion (180 g)
2 to 3 green chillies (serrano, Thai, or jalapeño), split lengthwise with the seeds scraped out
1 tsp minced garlic

Fry for about 5 minutes until onion is soft. Note: you can add the garlic at the end of the cooking time.

Add

1 cup chopped tomatoes (225 g), fresh or canned. If using fresh, peel them.

and cook, stirring, until they are soft.

When the dhal is cooked and completely tender, mash with a potato masher or the back of a spoon 6 to 8 times, to break up roughly. Add to tomato and spice mixture and

about 1 tsp salt (to taste)

Simmer for 2 minutes, adding water if desired to thin.

Remove from heat and garnish with

2 Tbl chopped cilantro