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1
Rinse the toor dal thoroughly under cold running water, agitating it until the water runs clear, so you wash away the surface starch that would otherwise turn your finished dal gluey and dull. Combine with turmeric, salt, and enough cold water to cover by 5 cm, then pressure-cook for 10–12 minutes or simmer covered on the stovetop for 25–30 minutes. The dal is ready when each grain is completely soft throughout but still holds its individual shape — not dissolved into a slick paste.
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2
Transfer the cooked dal to a serving bowl or warmed pan and keep it hot. Position it directly beside the stove so the tarka can travel from pan to dal without a single pause, because even a few seconds of delay lets the ghee cool and the aromatics lose the heat they need to perfume the dal on contact.
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3
Set a small heavy pan over high heat, add the ghee, and heat it until it just begins to smoke, so it is hot enough to make the spices bloom in seconds rather than sit and stew. Add the cumin seeds and hold until the popping slows — a matter of seconds — then add the dried red chillies, followed by the sliced garlic. This is where the dish lives or dies: the window from golden to brown is approximately 30 seconds in very hot ghee, and golden garlic is nutty and sweet while brown is already beginning to turn bitter and black is irreversible, so the moment the garlic turns uniformly pale gold, pull the pan from the heat, add the pinch of asafoetida, and let it bloom in the residual heat for 20 seconds.
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4
Pour the tarka immediately over the surface of the hot dal — the audible sizzle tells you the ghee was at the correct temperature and that the brief burst of steam is driving the aromatic compounds down into the dal rather than letting them escape into the air above the pan. Do not stir yet; let the tarka sit on the surface for a moment so the scented ghee pools into the dal on its own terms.
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5
Serve at once. The fragrances of the tarka begin to lift and dissipate the moment they meet the open air, so dal fry eaten 10 minutes after the sizzle is a quieter, flatter dish than one brought straight to the table.