Rinse and soak chana dal for about 4 hours. Then drain and set aside.
Grind coconut to a very fine paste and keep aside.
For grinding
In a blender jar, add red chili, ginger, garlic, fennel seeds, soaked chana dal, and salt.
And grind them to a coarse mixture.
For making lentil balls
In a mixing bowl, add ground spiced dal, chopped onion, curry leaves, and coriander leaves.
Combine well and make
Make equal medium sized 15 balls. And set aside.
For seasoning
Over medium heat, place a pan, and add vegetable oil, cinnamon, bay leaves, and cloves.
Then add chopped onion and saute till it becomes soft.
Next red chili powder, coriander powder, and turmeric powder. Saute for few seconds without burning the spices.
Then add tomato and saute until it becomes mushy.
For making
Add 6 cups of water and salt, and bring it to boil for 15 minutes in medium-low heat or until it leaves out the raw flavor.
Then the lentil balls and cook for another 7 minutes in medium heat or until the lentil balls cooked in the center.
Then add ground coconut paste, adjust salt and water. And boil for 4 minutes.
Then stir in lemon juice and coriander leaves. Remove it from the heat.
Serve hot with rice.
Notes
To make this kuzhambu rich, add ghee while seasoning.Let the knzhambu thinner and it becomes thicker once the lentils balls start absorbibg the water content.