Mash

Mash (urad dal)

Benefits:

Due to high potassium content urad dal acts as an aphrodisiac.  (High blood pressure occurs due to high sodium level and low potassium level. Black gram contains plenty of potassium. This helps to balance sodium potassium level and reduce hypertension or high blood pressure. There is a strong link between hypertension or high blood pressure and erectile dysfunction. As potassium helps to reduce high blood pressure, it also helps in erectile dysfunction. ) Hence this bean is praised as Vajikarana Food

How to grow:

Plant the crop in June/ July at two different times in two different fields. very heavy rains in July led to stagnant water in one of the fields, and we had rot set in in that crop. Now, the Urad crop is very sensitive to water. Lack of adequate water can result in a poor quality stony crop. However, excess standing water can also be harmful. It can lead to rot and wilting of leaves like we witnessed below. White fly appears on the plant, and spread this disease further.

  1. Good land preparations are necessary for better yield of black gram.
  2. Land should be ploughed in summer followed by two to three harrowing at pre-monsoon for kharif season.
  3. For summer black gram, after harvest of rabi crops, field prepare with criss-cross moghda once followed by two harrowing
  4. Land should be well leveled.
  5. Collect the weeds, previous crops stubbles, stones and clean the field for sowing.
  6. Mix five to six tons of FYM or compost at last harvesting.
  7. If necessary, one pre-sowing irrigation should be given.

Recipes:

  1. Dal makhani

Ingredients:

For the Lentils:

1 cup (200 g) whole black gram , Urad Whole or use black lentils(see first paragraph for sub options)

1/2 cup (88.5 g) kidney beans , Rajma

3.5 cups (875 ml) water

1 teaspoon salt or to taste

1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) red chili powder or cayenne or to taste

For the Tempering:

2 tsp oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2-3 (2 ) green chilis finely chopped I use Serrano chili pepper

1 inch ginger finely chopped

5-6 (5 ) garlic cloves finely chopped

1 medium size onion chopped

1/8 teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) asafoetida hing

1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) turmeric powder

2 medium size tomatoes chopped

1 teaspoon garam masala regular or punjabi

1 Tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves Kasoori methi, or Use a 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek/methi seeds-Optional

2 Tablespoons Almond milk

1/3 cup (78.9 ml) Cashew milk Blend 3 tbsp cashews in 1/3 cup water until smooth.

Vegan butter such as Earth Balance as needed

Method:

  1. Soak the lentils and beans overnight.
  2. Pressure cook black gram and Kidney beans in 3.5 cups of water with salt and chili powder for 3-4 whistles (25 minutes at high pressure once pressure has reached).
  3. Or use a slow cooker to cook urad beans and keep ready. Kidney beans cannot be cooked in a slow cooker from raw state, so use 1 cup cooked canned beans.
  4. In a large pan, add oil and heat on medium-high heat.
  5. Add cumin seeds and cook till they start to change color.
  6. Add ginger, garlic and green chili and saute until golden.
  7. Add onion, asafetida and cook until translucent.
  8. Add the tomato and turmeric and cook until tomatoes are mushy. (13-15 minutes till this step).
  9. Add the cooked black gram, kidney beans and the water they were cooked in.
  10. Add garam masala, fenugreek and the milks. Mix, taste and adjust salt.
  11. Add more water if the mixture is too thick.
  12. Simmer on low heat till the dals/beans are totally soft. Mash some of the lentils with the spatula. 30 minutes.
  13. Or Pressure cook for 5 minutes at high pressure once the pressure has reached. (1 whistle + simmer for 5)
  14. Top with a small dollop of vegan butter or olive oil and cilantro.
  15. Serve with Roti/Naan flatbread or Rice Pilaf or other cooked grains like Quinoa, millet.
  1. Black lentil dal

 

Ingredients:

2 cups (400 g) whole urad dal, soaked 6-8 hours, drained and rinsed

6 cups water

2 tsp salt, or to taste

1 tbsp coconut or neutral flavored oil

1 large onion, small dice

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2" (2 tbsp) fresh ginger, minced

1-2 chiles, minced, seeded if desired

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes (or 15 oz can)

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

basmati rice, for serving

Method:

  1. Cook the lentils: In a large stock pot, add soaked and rinsed lentils and 6 cups of water. Add 2 tsp of salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and then cook partially covered for 30 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Melt the oil, and add the onion and a pinch of salt. Sauté for 7-9 minutes, or until the onions are golden and translucent. Add the garlic, ginger, and chiles and sauté an additional 1-2 minutes. Add the curry powder and garam masala and stir to coat, for about 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
  3. When the lentils are soft, add the tomato, shredded coconut, and the onion mixture to the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook another 5-10 minutes uncovered, until desired consistency. If at any point the dal gets too dry, you can always add more water.
  4. Squeeze in lemon juice, taste, adjust seasoning if desired. Add the cilantro to garnish, and serve hot with basmati rice.
  1. No Fry Black Gram-Kale Fritters

Ingredients:

1 cup urad dal ( black gram) , washed and soaked for at least 4-5 hours

1 cup packed kale leaves

1/2 inch ginger and 1 Green Chili for grinding with dal

1 tsp red chili flakes  ( more if you like spicy)

2 tbsp. chopped Cilantro

2 tbsp. chopped onions

Juice of 1/2 Lemon/Lime

Himalayan pink salt as needed

1/4 tsp baking soda ( optional)

Method:

Grind the soaked Urad Daal, Kale leaves, ginger and green chili to smooth paste.

You will need to add 1 cup of water while grinding. The mixture should be not be too thick and should come out of spoon easily. So adjust the water accordingly. Add all other seasoning ingredients and mix well.

Heat up Appe pan and add drops of oil in each cavity. Put spoonful of mixture in each cavity of the Appe pan, cover and cook on medium heat. Check to make sure they are golden brown on the bottom , carefully flip with the bbq stick,  put little ghee/oil on other side and continue to cook til they are golden brown on the other side too.

Serve the Black Gram-Kale Fritters/appe warm with your favorite Chutney or sauce.

References:

  1. https://www.ayurhelp.com/articles/ayurveda-medicinal-properties-black-gram-vigna-mungo-urad-dal-0
  2. https://www.aanandaa.com/post/2016/10/20/growing-urad-dal-black-gram
  3. https://www.indiaagronet.com/indiaagronet/crop%20info/black_gram.htm
  4. https://profusioncurry.com/no-fry-black-gram-kale-fritters-urad-kale-appe-black-gram-kale-takoyaki/
  5. https://www.thecuriouschickpea.com/black-lentil-urad-dal/
  6. https://www.veganricha.com/dal-makhani-beans-in-creamy-buttery/