1,000 Indian Recipes (191 page)

Types of Beans, Peas, and Lentils

There are many forms of
dals
(legumes) used in India—whole, split, split with skin, skinned—you name it. Each variety and sub-variety is matched to specific preparations.

Most
dals
keep well for a long time if stored in air-tight containers in a cool, dark place—just be very sure to keep out all moisture. Don't use a damp or moist cup or hands to remove any
dal
from the container. For best long-term care, you can throw a bay leaf or cinnamon stick into your
dal
container; it will add flavor and keep bugs away. If you stick to these rules, your
dals
may well keep indefinitely. That's why Indian cooks always have many different kinds of
dals
in their pantry. That way they are all available, whether to make an entrée focusing on one
dal
, or to just use a tablespoon to enrich a dish.

Here is an introduction to the various Indian
dals
and beans I use. I list first all the smaller
dals
and then the larger whole beans, from the most common to the less common. I refer first to the Indian name, then the English name. For each
dal
form, I then describe it in English and provide the Indian and the English-Indian hybrid names you may see. All
dals
are available in Indian and some ethnic markets.

Mung Dal

Mung beans or green gram
. This
dal
is one of the most basic in northern India. Small, kidney-shaped, and with a green skin, this
dal
is available as whole green mung beans with skin on (
saabut mung
or green mung
dal
), green split mung beans with skin on (
chilkae vaali mung
), and yellow skinned and split mung beans (
dhulli mung
or yellow mung
dal
). All these are considered easy to digest, especially the skinless yellow variety.

The yellow skinned and split mung beans (dhulli mung) are often ground into a flour that is used to make a variety of savory dishes, treats, and snacks.

Masoor
,
Malika Massoor
, or
Massar Dal

Lentils
. These familiar green-brown discs come in two sizes, with the common American variety being larger then the Indian ones. Both can be used interchangeably. This
dal
is available as green-brown whole lentils with the skin on (
saabut masoor
), red whole lentils without the skin, or red skinned and split lentils (
dhulli masoor
or red masoor
dal
). Like mung
dal
, they cook fast and digest easily. In fact, yellow mung and red lentils are often cooked together, because they cook in the same amount of time.

Toor
,
Tuar
,
Arhar Dal

Pigeon peas or red gram
. These pale green whole beans are available more commonly as yellow-gold discs split and without the skin. They are very popular all over India, especially in the southern parts and along the west coast, where they lend themselves to a variety of preparations. Sold primarily in Indian markets as plain or oiled (to prevent infestation, which is more prevalent for this bean than others), both are essentially the same and can be used interchangeably. Like the mung and masoor
dals
, they are easy to cook and easy on the stomach.

Channa
,
Chola Dal

Yellow split chickpeas or split Bengal gram
. This
dal
is very similar in appearance to yellow split peas, but is actually made from black chickpeas. Considered somewhat harder to digest, this
dal
is always cooked with something carminative (gas-reducing)—ginger, garlic, ground asafoetida, or ajwain seeds.

Urad
,
Maas
,
Maanh Dal

Urad beans or black gram
. These small, dull-black beans resemble green mung
dal
in appearance. They are available as black whole urad beans (
saabut urad
or black urad dal), as black split urad beans with skin on (
chilkae vaali urad
or split black urad dal) and as white skinned and split urad beans (
dhulli urad
or white urad dal). Considered hardest to digest among the
dals
, this
dal
takes a long time to soften and to digest and because of its dense nature, and often calls for a lot of spices and flavorings.

Like yellow split and skinned mung beans, skinless white urad beans (
urad dal
) are often ground into a flour and used to make a variety of savories, treats, and snacks.

Moth
,
Muth Dal

Dew beans
. These are a duller and much smaller version of whole green mung beans (
saabut mung
). They are available primarily in Indian stores. Sold whole and with skin, this
dal
is popularly used to prepare
chaats
(snack dishes with savory, tangy, and spicy flavors) and salads, such as
Spicy Dew Bean Salad
, or crunchy savory munchies like
dal-muth
(pronounced
moath
), which are hot and spicy chip-like munchies found packaged at Indian markets.

Sookhae Muttar
and
Muttar Ki Dal

Dried peas and green and yellow split peas
. Mutter
dal
is available whole or split without the skin. The whole ones are simply called dried green peas or
sookhae muttar
, and are cooked like black-eyed peas (lobia). When split, they are treated more like a
dal
. Yellow split peas are made from mature green peas (the vegetable) that turn yellow before they are dried and made into a
dal
.

All these varieties are relatively easy to digest and lend themselves to an array of preparations, but are mostly prepared as
chaats
(snack dishes with savory, tangy, and spicy flavors), salads, and savory munchies.

Chori Dal

Adzuki beans
. These reddish-brown beans, slightly bigger than mung beans, are available in Indian and Asian stores, whole with skin on. Often prepared simply with a few spices, this
dal
cooks similarly to green whole mung beans and is quite easily digested.

Lobia

Black-eyed peas or cow peas
. Not quite as easily digested,
lobia
must be cooked well and for a long time with carminative (gas-reducing) spices—ginger, garlic, ground asafoetida, or ajwain seeds.

Raajma

Kidney or red beans
. These are available everywhere in supermarkets and Indian markets. There is also another variety called
chitree vaalae raajma
, which is similar to pinto beans. I also include red beans and Mexican black beans in this category because they cook and taste like
raajma
, and take on Indian flavors very well. All these beans can be used interchangeably.

Channae, Cholae

Chickpeas, garbanzo beans, or Bengal gram
. These come as small or large tan heart-shaped beans or black heart-shaped beans. The tan chickpeas are easily available everywhere—both dried and pre-cooked and canned. The black variety are usually only sold in Indian markets. They are harder to digest than most other beans, but the black variety is considered to be far more nutritious than its tan counterpart. I frequently use canned chickpeas because they are so convenient.

Soyabeans Bhatmas

Soy beans
. These beans are pale yellow and look like dried yellow peas, although they are not perfectly round. They are commonly grown in the United States, but Americans don't eat them much. They are only gaining in popularity as it becomes more apparent that soy is beneficial to health. Look for them in Indian markets and health food stores, and cook them as you would chickpeas and kidney beans.

To Cook Dried Beans, Lentils, and Peas

Before you start to cook, place the
dals
(of any variety or form) in a large bowl and wash them in 3 to 4 changes of water. All the husks and hollow grains float to the top and can be poured out with the water. This does not happen if you wash them in a fine-mesh strainer under running water.

Then cook them in a pressure cooker or saucepan. The smaller ones (such as mung beans and lentils) can be cooked in a saucepan, but for the larger beans (such as chickpeas or kidney beans), it's best to use a pressure cooker. Of course, these beans can be made without a pressure cooker, but the cooking time is greatly reduced with one. The newer models of pressure cookers, with their built-in safety features, are quite safe to use. (Read your instruction booklet; it will tell you how yours works.)

If you want to cook them in a saucepan, you can boil them continuously in 3 to 7 times the water until tender; start with 3 times the water and keep adding more as needed. The larger beans (such as chickpeas) will need more water than the smaller skinless
dals
(such as yellow mung beans), or you can soak them overnight in water to cover, then boil them until tender.

One other cooking method is to bring to a boil over high heat, turn off the heat and allow the beans to soak 1 to 2 hours. Then simmer over medium heat until the beans are soft.