Black Beans in Cream Sauce

Source: A Taste of India by Bibiji Inderjit Kaur Khalsa

This is a relatively mild (by Indian standards!) but still somewhat spicy (hot) dish! Yield: 12-14 cups.

• 1 pound (about 2 ½ cups) split black mung beans (urad dahl)

• 1 tsp chopped garlic

• 6 green chilies, mild or hot, to taste, chopped fine

• 1 Tbsp peeled and chopped fresh ginger

• ½ tsp baking soda

• 2-3 tsp salt, or, to taste

• 2 ½ quarts water

• ½ cup vegetable oil or ghee

• 4 medium onions, chopped

• 4 medium tomatoes, chopped

• 1 tsp crushed dry red chilies (watch the heat level here!)

• ½ cup yogurt

• ½ cup cream

Garnish:

• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves (Cilantro)

• 2 Tbsp chopped almonds

• 2 Tbsp raisins

1. Carefully pick over and wash the beans. In a large, thick-bottomed pot, cook the beans, ginger, garlic, green chilies, baking soda and salt in 2 ½ quarts of water over low heat until the beans are soft, about 1 hour.

2. In a thick-bottomed frying pan, heat the ghee or vegetable oil and fry the onions until light brown. Add the tomatoes, yogurt, cream and crushed red chilies and cook until the oil starts to separate out. Cook 5 minutes more, stirring frequently.

3. Add the spice mixture to the cooked beans and cook for 5 minutes more. If mixture is too thick, add 1 cup of hot water and cook a few more minutes, until desired consistency is reached.