I made a Dal the other day which got much acclaim and goes with anything, from a recipe in 'Made in India, Cooked in Britain' by Meera Sodha. Her mother's 'Everyday Dal'; 225g Red lentils, 1 Onion, 2tbsp sunflower oil, 4 garlic cloves crushed, 1tsp. grated ginger, 1/2 tsp each of powdered chilli, coriander, turmeric, 1tsp salt, 300g crushed canned tomatoes.
Wash lentils, boil in 600ml water 10 -15 mins until soft. Fry onion in oil till golden, add other ingredients inc. tomatoes, simmer 8 minutes. stir in the lentils and simmer for a further 10 mins.
'For a soupier dal, add more water' I didn't.