Pressure cook dal till smooth. I usually use 1 cup of water for ½ cup of dal and pressure cook for 2 whistles on a medium flame. You can also cook following pot-in-pot method by placing the bowl of dal inside the cooker. In this case pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles. When the pressure releases mash it well.

Soak tamarind in little water. Set aside.

Heat ghee in a pot. Add red chili, mustard, cumin and methi. When they begin to crackle add garlic, curry leaves & hing.

Add onions and sauté for a min. I like them to be crunchy. If you want them to be soft, fry till they are half done.

Add tomatoes, green chilies sprinkle salt and turmeric, fry till the tomatoes turn fully mushy. If you do not want to use tomatoes, just proceed to next step

Add red chili powder, mix well and fry for a min. Squeeze the tamarind and filter the water to the pot. Pour 1 cup plain water, bring it to a boil.

When the water comes to a boil, add mashed dal or filter the dal through a colander like me to remove coarse grains. Taste and adjust the salt as needed. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 1 minute. Add coriander leaves.

Serve pappu charu with rice, ghee and papad.