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Title: Sukhi Urad (Tempered Dry Lentils)
Categories: Indian
Yield: 2 Servings

3/4 c Dhuli urad
- (split urad lentils);
- available in
- Indian stores
Water;
- for soaking
- (1:3 lentils:water)
1/2 c Water;
- or as required
- for cooking
Salt; to taste
1/2 ts Turmeric powder
1/2 ts Garam masala
Fresh lime juice; to taste

MMMMM-----------------------FOR TEMPERING----------------------------
3 tb Ghee (clarified butter)
1 ts Jeera (cumin seeds)
1/2 ts Sabut dhania
- (coriander seeds);
- crushed
1/4 ts Hing powder (asafoetida)
1/2 c Onions; sliced
2 tb Fresh ginger julians
3 cl Garlic; finely chopped
1/2 ts Red chili powder
3 Thai green chiles;
- chopped,
- adjust to tolerance

Notes:

Hing (asafoetida) is a pungent, unpleasant smelling indian spice but
adds a lot of flavor to the tempering. Try getting it in powdered
form in Indian stores, trust me its worth the buy!

The recipe can be used to make any lentil variety you wish to. Just
adjust the cooking time depending on the lentil type and whether it
is split or whole.

Pick the urad dal and thoroughly wash it under a stream of water, 2
to 3 times. Let soak in enough water for at least 4 to 5 hours. Note:
Soaking the dal is really important so that you don't end up
overcooking it on the stove. Once soaked, drain the water & discard.
Spread the soaked lentils on a paper towel.

Cooking the Dal (Lentils):

In a heavy bottomed pot with a lid/kadhai, add the soaked lentils
along with turmeric powder, salt to taste & 1/2 cup of water. Note:
This quantity of water may sound less, but if your lentils are soaked
properly, this amount of water is sufficient to cook them. Transfer
the pot to the stovetop, cover with a lid & let the water come to a
boil on high heat. When boiling, you will see some scum or foam on
top of the lentils.Using a spoon, remove it. Once boiling, reduce the
heat to minimum and let the lentils cook on low for about 8 to 10
minutes. You may need to go and gently stir once or twice in between
while cooking to prevent lentils from sticking to bottom. Also if you
feel that water needs to be adjusted, do so but add very less
quantity of water at a time. The whole idea is not to end up with
mushy lentils. We want the grains to remain intact and al dente.
After you see that all the water has been absorbed by the lentils,
approximately 12 minutes from start, remove from heat and let the
lentils sit in their own steam for 5 to 8 minutes. Fluff up with the
help of fork once done. Tip: Once the lentils have cooked & are hot,
avoid stirring or mixing too much, they will become mushy.

Tempering the Dal:

In a saucepan, add the ghee and let heat on medium. Once heated, add
the cumin & coriander seeds and let crackle for about 30 seconds. Be
careful while adding the spices to hot ghee, they splutter. Reduce
the heat to low and add the hing powder, saute for 10 seconds. Just
take care that the spices don't burn. Add the ginger julians and
garlic next and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until you smell the aroma.
Increase the heat to medium and add the sliced onions and let the
onions cook until they turn golden brown. About 5 to 8 minutes.
Remove from heat once the onions have browned and add the red chili
powder.

Immediately add this tempering to the cooked lentils along with garam
masala and chopped green chiles. Mix thoroughly, adjust the salt if
required and squirt some fresh lime juice. A dollop of melted ghee on
top tastes amazing too.

Serve warm with flatbreads or rice.

Recipe by sanjuro

Recipe FROM:
<gopher://sdf.org/0/users/sanjuro/indian-food/sukhi-urad.txt>

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