Ingredients

1/2 cup (3.5 oz) chana dal (split chickpeas)

1 cup (7 oz) urad dal (split black gram lentils)

1/2 cup (3 oz) toor dal (split pigeon peas)

1/2 cup (2.5 oz) white sesame seeds

10 curry leaves

3 tbsp (1 oz) Kashmiri red chili powder (you can add more or less per your taste)

1 tsp (0.15 oz) hing (asafoetida) powder

1 tbsp (0.4 oz) sea salt

Directions

1.  Visually look through the chana, urad, and toor dals to make sure there aren’t any stones or debris. If you find any, throw them out.

2.  Dry roast each ingredient separately over medium heat, stirring constantly to ensure even heating. Transfer each ingredient after roasting to a large plate to help it to cool quickly.  Below are approximate dry roasting times for each ingredient:Chana dal ~4 minutes until light brownUrad dal ~4 minutes until golden brownToor dal ~3 minutes until golden brownSesame seeds ~2 minutes until golden brownCurry leaves ~1 minute until fragrant

3.  After the roasted ingredients cool down, blend them with the Kashmiri red chili powder, hing, and salt until you get a fine powder. I use a spice grinder, but a high power blender or food processor work as well.

4.  Store in a glass jar or airtight container at room temperature until ready to use.  You can use it as a dry powder, or mix it with a bit of oil / butter / ghee (my favorite!) / yogurt / water to make a paste.