Black Gram or Urad Dal is eaten mostly in India, particularly in the south where it is referred to as black gram or ulundoo. Black gram is available in two distinctly different forms. When sold whole, the black skin is left intact—hence the common name of this pulse. When skinned and split, however, the gram reveals a creamy white color, and is therefore sometimes known as "white lentil." Like its black counterpart, the husked white lentils are an essential ingredient in the cuisines of India as well as Sri Lanka.
Appearance & Flavor The appearance of the whole black gram—a small, oblong-shaped lentil with a shiny, black skin—is totally different to the skinned, creamy white split lentil. Black gram has a relatively pronounced flavor, and is therefore used as a seasoning in its skinned, split form, as well as eaten as a savory dish when used whole. Nutritional & Medicinal Properties Black gram is a good source of calories and is particularly high in phosphorus and calcium. Culinary Uses Whole, unskinned black gram is cooked in vegetable dishes and vegetarian curries. It does not require soaking and pre-cooking. The skinned black gram (white lentil) is often stir-fried with brown mustard seeds, dried chili and curry leaves to make a seasoning which is added during the final stages of cooking lentil stews, fish curries and soupy dishes in southern India. White lentils are also soaked for several hours and allowed to ferment slightly, ground to a paste and mixed with soaked ground rice to make a batter. This is used in steamed breads (idli), deep-fried savories (vadai) and savory pancakes (dosai and appalam) in southern India. Flour made from white lentils is also used in making poppadum or papad, a wafer-thin savory which puffs up to a crisp circle after brief deep-frying, and is often eaten as a snack with curries and rice.
Broad Beans originated in Europe and the Middle East and have been eaten in China for several thousand years. The fresh young beans are enjoyed as a vegetable in cold areas of Asia, while elsewhere, dried broad beans are popular boiled, roasted or deep-fried and mixed with salt as a savory snack food.
Appearance & Flavor Broad beans are one of the largest pulses, measuring about 1 in (2½ cm) in length. When dried, they are reddish brown in color; the flavor is somewhat earthy and is improved when the beans are cooked with seasonings such as soy sauce. Nutritional & Medicinal Properties Broad beans are high in protein, iron and fiber and are a good source of vitamins A and C. They contain a high concentration of dopamine, a neuro-transmitter in the brain. Broad beans should not be eaten by anyone taking drugs containing monoamine inhibitors, which are found in some anti-depressants. Culinary Uses The dried beans should be soaked and pre-boiled as described on page 11. They can then be simmered in water to cover, with soy sauce and a little sugar and sesame oil and then served with rice and other dishes. Pre-boiled dried broad beans can also be left to dry thoroughly before being deep-fried in very hot oil. Sprinkle with salt and, if liked, a little ground red pepper before serving as a snack.
Channa Dal is often known as Bengal gram, and is a variety of the common chickpea, reputed to make up more than half the production of pulses in India. Channa dal, like chickpeas, is used in savory stews and curries, although a large portion of the crop is dried and ground to make a widely used flour, besan, known as chickpea flour in English.
Appearance & Flavor When whole, channa dal is yellowish brown in color and somewhat wrinkled. Besan, or channa dal flour, is yellowish cream in color. Channa dal is most commonly sold split, and resembles yellowish beige lentils, with its somewhat oval shape. The flavor is nutty and pleasant. Nutritional & Medicinal Properties Channa dal is, like all other pulses, nutritious. It contains fiber and carbohydrates as well as protein, minerals and vitamins. It also contains lecithin and linoleic acid and is easily digested. Culinary Uses If using whole channa dal, soak and pre-cook as directed on page 11. It can be cooked in any vegetarian stew or curry, either alone or with fresh vegetables. Channa dal, should be soaked in water for about 30 minutes, then drained before being cooked in a lentil stew or simmered with vegetables. Channa dal is used as a seasoning in some regions of India, stir-fried with oil or ghee and added to various dishes such as simmered pumpkin. Besan is used to make batters, as a thickening or binding agent in many dishes and also used in some Indian sweetmeats. In Burma and parts of northern Thailand, this flour is used lightly toasted and sprinkled on some soup and noodle dishes.
Chickpeas originated in the Middle East, where they have been cultivated for several thousand years. Most of the chickpea crop is dried before use. The Arabian armies which conquered northern Africa and southern Spain were reputedly fed on this nourishing pulse. Chickpeas have spread as far as the Americas (particularly South America) across to India and, in recent times, are even grown in Australia. They are also known as garbanzos.
Appearance & Flavor Chickpeas are hard and wrinkled, beige-brown in color, and are pointed at one end. Their nutty flavor is particularly appreciated in India and in other countries with a sizeable Indian population. Nutritional & Medicinal Properties Similar to channa dal Culinary Uses Chickpeas are renowned for taking a long time to cook, so they should be soaked and pre-cooked as directed on page 11. After pre-cooking, the colorless, almost jelly-like skins covering the chickpeas will have been loosened. Skim the skins off the surface while they are still in the cooking liquid, then detach and discard the rest of the skins. This is not essential, but many cooks prefer the appearance of the finished dish without these skins. Although purees of chickpeas are popular in the Middle East, Indian cooks generally leave the chickpeas whole, usually cooking them with spices and other seasonings to make a type of stew. They are also cooked with vegetables such as tomatoes and carrots, or with leafy greens such as spinach.
Green Beans are probably the most widely eaten fresh bean in the world. Also known as haricot beans, French beans or, in the US, as string beans, they are native to Mexico and Guatemala. Green beans are now eaten throughout Asia, although in some countries they are less popular than long beans. If left to mature, the almost negligible seeds inside the young green pods will swell to form legumes. When these are dried, they turn red and are known as kidney beans (see page 17).
Appearance & Flavor There are many varieties of green bean, ranging from light to dark green in color, to pale yellow. Some fresh beans have wide, flat pods, while others may be rounded. Green beans are highly versatile, with a pleasant texture that makes them almost universally appealing. Choosing & Storing When buying the beans, look for those which snap rather than bend. Avoid those where the seeds are starting to swell, as the beans will be too mature. Keep refrigerated in a plastic bag for 3-4 days. Preparing Most varieties lack strings, although if they are present, they should be pulled away and the stem end cut off before cooking. The beans are usually sliced diagonally into 1-in (2½-cm) lengths, although some recipes may call for them to be finely chopped. Nutritional & Medicinal Properties Fresh green beans contain appreciable levels of calcium and phosphorus