In a roomy bowl, soak lentils and kidney beans in about 8 cups of water ideally overnight. If you’re pressed for time, use boiled water to soak them for at least 4 hours. Though, this might increase your cooking time a bit. Drain the water when finished soaking.
In a deep and heavy-bottomed pan, add the lentil/beans, turmeric, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cloves, and 10 cups water. Bring water to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours with a lid on the pot but slightly ajar. Once the legumes are cooked, turn the heat off and fit the lid so that it covers the pan completely. Let the cooked lentil/beans sit while you work on the next few steps.
Tip: If a foam forms on the top, just skim it off and discard. Continue to cook.
Meanwhile, in a food processor, grind the onion, ginger, and garlic into a watery paste. You’ll end up with about 2/3 of a cup.
In a saute pan on the side, heat butter over medium-high.
Add cumin seeds and cook until they sizzle, about 40 seconds. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic paste. Mix well and cook until slightly browned (about 4 minutes).
Add cumin powder, coriander, red chile, and green chiles. Mix well and cook another 30-40 seconds.
Add tomato paste and 1/4 cup water. Cook another few minutes, mixing occasionally. Use a little more water to make sure this does not dry out.
Put this mixture into the pot of cooked lentils and beans. Mix well. Add salt, cardamom powder, and fenugreek. Simmer another 15 minutes. Remove whole spices, garnish with cilantro and serve with roti, naaan, or basmati rice.
*When a recipe calls for cleaning your lentils and beans, do it! There is nothing worse than overlooking a tiny rock and biting into it during a meal. The best way to do this is put a handful of lentils on one end of a large white plate.
With one hand, sweep a few lentils at a time towards you, picking out any tiny rocks and debris along the way. I usually take an afternoon to do a few bags, then store the lentils in glass jars for washing later as you’re getting ready to cook them up. Never wash them and then try to store them, as lentils can get moldy. They spoil if stored even slightly moist.
