Wash and soak the chana dal and keep it aside for 2 hours. After two hours, drain the chana daal and add 2.5 cups water and put in pressure cooker. Add salt and turmeric and let it boil.
on a high flame, pressure cook the lentils for 4 whistles or till the dal is softened and well cooked. Open the lid of the pressure cooker , add sugar and let it cook now on low flame.
Heat a tawa or a frying pan over medium low heat , add bay leaves,cinnamon stick,dried red chillies,black pepper and cumin seeds and roast for about 2 minutes. grind them all in dry spice grinder to make a fine powder. set aside.
Heat Ghee in a small frying or tadka pan over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and add coconut and stir fry for few minutes or until the coconut is brown. Take them out and add cashews and fry them too till they are brown.
Now pour over dal and add coconut slices also. Sprinkle the ground spices and ground cumin over dal and cover. Do not stir until ready to serve.
Once done, give a final stir and serve it with hot Luchis or pooris or rice and enjoy!