Urad Dal - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3/4 cup skinned split black lentils (urad dal)
1/4 cup red kidney beans (rajma)
3 cups water, or more as needed
2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon grated ginger, divided
1 teaspoon red chili powder, divided
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
1 onion, diced
1 green chili, chopped, or more to taste
1 tomato, diced
8 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)

Preparation

Combine black lentils and red kidney beans in a pot. Cover with water; let soak, 8 hours to overnight.
Add 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon chili powder to the beans. Boil until soft but not pasty, about 30 minutes.
Heat butter and oil in a separate pot. Add cumin, cloves, and bay leaves; cook until sputtering, about 1 minute. Add onion, green chili, and remaining salt and ginger; fry until golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomato and garlic; cook until tomato is soft, about 5 minutes. Add coriander, turmeric, and remaining chili powder; fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add beans and lemon juice to the spice mixture; mix gently. Add garam masala. Simmer dal over low heat for 15 minutes. Add cream and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes.