Heat a pan with oil over medium heat. Add dry red chillies, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and 4-5 Fenugreek seeds.
Once the mustard seeds splutter, add few garlic pods and curry leaves. Optionally, you can also add ginger grate at this stage.
Give it a stir for few seconds and then add thinly sliced onions and slit green chillies. Sauté until the onions turn translucent.
Now, add roughly chopped tomato and sauté until tomatoes turn soft and mushy.
Add turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Mix well.
To this, add finely chopped methi leaves and give it a nice stir until the leaves shrink. Sauté extra 2 minutes if you want the bitter taste of the leaves to reduce.
Now, add in the cooked dal and tamarind extract.
Mix well and add enough water to get the desired consistency.
Adjust salt and add a teaspoon of sugar.
Bring it to a boil. If the dal becomes too thick, you can add some more water and adjust consistency.
Turn off the heat after 5 minutes.