Toor dal is the most popular and widely consumed dal in India and cooked most often in Indian households. This dal is known with many different names in different part of India, like Tuvar dal, Toovar dal. In Northern part of Indian it is known as yellow dal (peeli dal) or Arhar dal. Toor dal is very simple and nutritious and very easy to cook with simple tempering of cumin seeds and asafetida. But when you give extra tadka of onion, garlic, tomato and green chilies it becomes more spicy and flavorful - Tadka Dal. The popular south Indian sambhar is cooked with Toor dal.