Chainsoo/ split black gram dal/Uttarakhand special

Uttarakhand was formerly known as Uttaranchal, is the state as the name suggests in the north of India. This state borders Himachal and China on one side.
The food habits are a blend of garhwali or himachali type as well as the influence from Uttar pradesh and tibet exists. Considering the climatic conditions the food intake is primarily fat inducing. 

I picked the chainsoo recipe which is basically a warm dal made using urad dal. The dal is simple to make and good during the chilly nights

Ingredients
1 cup split black lentils/ urad dal
2 tspn crushed garlic
1 tspn red chilli powder
1 tspn turmeric powder
1 tspn coriander powder
1 tspn cumin powder
1 tspn garam masala
1 tbsp ghee
1 tspn cumin seeds
coriander to garnish
salt to taste
Method
1) Dry roast the urad dal for 4 to 5 min. The color should not change much else it will give a burnt taste
2) Grind this to a coarse powder.
3) In a pan heat some ghee, add the cumin seeds and garlic paste and saute
4) Next add the urad dal powder and saute for 2 to 3 minutes
5) Add 3 to 4 cups of water and let it cook until the dal becomes soft and mushy. About 10 min
6) Add the dry masalas except garam masala and stir well. Add more water at this stage to get the consistency of dal as per your choice
7) Add the remaining ghee on top, sprinkle garam masala and coriander and serve hot with steamed rice

This dal is heavy to digest however roasting the dal helps breaking it down and easy for digestion, try to keep it more diluted compared to the regular yellow dals