Cathy Katin-Grazzini
Cathy’s Kitchen Prescription.com
www.cathyskitchenprescription.com
 
Urad Dal, Fully Loaded
This dal uses whole skinned tiny matpe beans. With their skins they are known as black lentils or black gram, but commonly called urad when they are skinned and split or left whole. Matpe beans plays an important role in many Indian dishes, from slow-cooked dal makhani in northern Punjab to sambar, idli, and dosa in the South. They can be the star in a dish or just a minor player in a spice blend. Instead of using oil or ghee, we keep this dal green and clean by flavoring it instead with an 
array of vegetables. It is highly nutritious, loaded with protein, fiber, folate, potassium, calcium, iron, niacin, thiamine, riboflavin and more. Enjoy this dish with whole grains, Phulka Roti or another flatbread.
 
Prep 60 minutes                       
Cooking 30 minutes                              
Serves 4 to 6
 
For the Urad
1½ cups whole urad (whole white matpe beans)
3 cups water
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 inch ginger root, minced
1 teaspoon fresh batch of Garam Masala (see page   )
1 teaspoon amchur (green mango powder) 
 
For the Dal
1-inch ginger root, ground with the garlic into a paste
3 cloves garlic, ground with the ginger into a paste
1 teaspoon cumin seed, lightly roasted and ground
1/4 teaspoon pippali (Indian long pepper), ground
½ teaspoon asafoetida resinous nuggets (aka hing), freshly ground
1 red onion, cut in a medium dice
A splash of no-sodium vegetable broth to deglaze pan
1 carrot, cut in a medium dice
1 to 2 green Indian chilis, minced
3 small new potatoes, scrubbed, cut in a medium dice
1 zucchini, cut in a medium dice
1 yellow squash, cut in a medium dice
Up to ½ teaspoon cayenne or your favorite ground chili, or to taste (optional if you prefer less heat)
1 large tomato, cut in a medium dice
A few grinds of black pepper
Shiro miso (mild, white) miso paste, to taste
Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves or microgreens
 
Hints
This dal uses whole urad for a denser consistency. However, if you prefer it to be soupier, use skinned, split urad instead and add a little more water.
Find whole skinned matpe beans and amchur at South Asian grocers. Find whole pippali pepper and whole nuggets of asafoetida online.
 
Cook the Urad
Rinse the urad. Transfer to a deep saucepan, and add water, covering the beans by 1 inch. 
Add turmeric, minced ginger, garam masala and amchur. Boil for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and steep for about 45 minutes or until the urad is cooked but not mushy. Check it to ensure it has sufficient water as it steeps; the urad should not absorb it all.
Drain the urad, reserving its cooking water.
 
Cook the Dal
To make the ginger-garlic paste, cut both the ginger root and garlic cloved into small pieces. Combine them in a coffee grinder and grind until they blend into a paste.
To roast the cumin seed, heat a small skillet over a low flame for a minute. Add the seeds and swirl or stir them until they become fragrant. Remove immediately to prevent them from burning and becoming bitter. Cool and grind in a coffee grinder into a powder.
Grind the pippali in a coffee grinder to create a powder.
Grind the asafoetida nuggets in a coffee grinder to make a powder.
In a deep skillet dry sauté onion over medium heat until it begins to caramelize and darken pan. 
Deglaze the pan with a few tablespoons of liquid, scraping up the onion sugars with a wooden spoon. 
Add the carrot, ground cumin, and ground pippali. Cook for 2 minutes.
If the mix dries out at any point, remoisten the pan with a few spoonfuls of broth.
Add the garlic and ginger paste, and some or all of the minced fresh chili according to your tastes.
After a minute, stir in the diced potatoes. 
Cook for 2 minutes and add the zucchini and yellow squash with the freshly ground asafoetida and cayenne, if using.
When the vegetables are nearly soft add the cooked urad with as much of its cooking water as you like to achieve the dal consistency you prefer. If you need additional liquid, add broth.
Stir in the tomato. Season with pepper. 
Turn off the heat and add the shiro miso to taste, stirring it in the dal thoroughly.
Taste and correct seasonings as you like. 
Plate in heated bowls, along with cooked whole barley, sorghum, or quinoa if you like. Garnish with chopped cilantro or microgreens.