Seasoned Lentil Stew

Bring dal, 1 1/2 cups water, and turmeric to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat to very low and cook, covered (check occasionally, and if mixture appears dried out, add up to about 1/4 cup water), until peas are soft and break when pressed with a spoon, about 30 minutes (45 minutes if using split peas).

Meanwhile, dissolve tamarind concentrate in 2 tablespoons hot water, breaking it up with your fingers.

Heat oil in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then cook fenugreek seeds and asafetida, stirring, until fenugreek seeds begin to brown, about 30 seconds. Stir in remaining 2 cups water, potato, vegetables, chile, cilantro, sambar powder, tamarind mixture, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer, uncovered, until all vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Mash dal in saucepan with a potato masher or back of a spoon to form a coarse paste, then stir into vegetable mixture. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring in water as necessary to thin (consistency should be thinner than pea soup). Season with salt and lemon juice.

Mix 3 teaspoons ground coriander, 3/4 teaspoon ground cuminutes, and 1/8 teaspoon each of ground turmeric, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and asafetida.•Chile can be removed during cooking when stew is spicy enough for your taste.•Sambar can be made 2 days ahead and chilled.