Pureed toor dal

Raghavan Iyer says that this dish, called "varan," is eaten "practically every day" in the Maharashtrian community.  Considering that Maharashtra has a population of about 100 million people, this is one popular dish!  And for good reason: it's extremely easy to make and absolutely delicious.

The heart of the flavor comes from a combination of jaggery (palm sugar) and ghee (clarified butter), which reminds me of maple syrup and butter.  It provides a sweet, rich backdrop for the spices.  In Iyer's recipe, the predominant spices are hot cayenne and earthy turmeric, and some asafoetida is thrown in as an accent ingredient.  Google searches turn up myriad variations on the basic recipe.

In Iyer's recipe, all of the ingredients are added straight into the pot.  Having an immersion blender makes the dish even easier because you can puree the toor dal (split, skinned pigeon peas) directly in the pot.

I've seen recipes calling for cilantro as a garnish, but I would be inclined to use something with a more neutral flavor like nuts or seeds or a drizzle of cayenne-infused oil.

(recipe on p. 442 of 660 Curries)