Black gram: Fermented black gram dumplings or (salty) pancakes
Below are recipes using black gram lentils.
Here's a short video to learn how to identify black gram lentils.
How to identify black gram
Black gram has many different names because it's used as a staple in so many countries. Black gram is also called urad dahl, urid dahl (dahl or daal is another word for lentil), mapte bean, matpe bean. Here's one of many places where you can buy black gram. Buy the split, hulled ones (no skin) and buy its flour aka urad dahl flour. Webstore link: https://nuts.com/cookingbaking/beans/urad-dal.html
Lentil nuggets or pancakes made from black gram flour - it's also gluten-free
This first recipe using black gram flour takes about 20 minutes and costs less than $0.50. It has most of your day's protein requirements.
Black gram pancakes and balls
Ingredients:
1 cup urad dal (aka black gram) flour
tap water
salt
oil
Optional ingredients:
Diced onions or tomatoes or any other veggie you like.
No time to watch the video? No problem. Here's how you make it.
In a bowl, mix 1 cup urad dahl flour with tap water to the consistency of ketchup. If it gets too thick or too thin, adjust it with more flour or more water.
Add salt. Start with 1 teaspoon salt for every cup of flour and add more along the way as you taste the batter and further adjust.
Add oil to a frying pan.
Drop a dollup of batter and smooth it out. Add optional veggies as this time if you're using them. Diced onions, peppers, tomatoes are delish.
Fry on both sides until golden brown.
Eat with ketchup, other condiments, or chutneys. We eat this with sambhar which is a pigeon pea veggie stew.
These pancakes or balls (if you're using a muffin pan) do well in lunch boxes.
This batter does not keep well. So plan to fry up all the batter even if you plan to use them another day.
This second recipe using black gram hulled split lentils takes a little longer to make the batter the first time. But once the batter is prepared, it'll make dozens of pancakes in minutes for pennies per serving. This is the main protein source of the meal.
Harmless nuggets made from lentils and rice
This is a recipe requiring that the ingredients be soaked for a few hours. Because you'll have batter lasting several days, it will also become "a fermented recipe" over time. (In general it's always good to have various lentil and rice concoctions soaking on your counter top. Our cutesy saying is "If you know you'll need to eat tomorrow, you should be soaking lentils today.")
Lentil nuggets / pancakes using black gram
Ingredients:
1 cup split hulled urad dal (see other names for urad dal)
2 cups brown rice
1 cup white rice
tap water
salt
oil
Optional ingredients:
Diced onions or tomatoes or any other veggie you like.
No time to watch the video? No problem. Here's how you make it.
In a large bowl, soak in tap water 1 cup black gram, 2 cups brown rice, 1 cup white rice bowl for a few hours or overnight. If you don't care for brown rice, you can also just use white rice. It's a complete protein.
In a blender, grind up lentil / rice soaked mixture. Add tap water in such a way that the mixture has the texture of ketchup.
Add salt. Start with 1 teaspoon salt for every cup of lentils and rice. Add more salt along the way as you taste the batter and further adjust.
Your lentil rice batter is done. Store in a large bowl or container in the fridge. Depending on your kitchen's temperature, it can double in size as it ferments.
Make some pancakes or balls (if you have a muffin pan) to eat now.
The remainder of the batter will become fermented over time. It'll rise and it'll develop a tangy, fermented taste. It's the same way bread rises with yeast. It will develop a smell as it ferments. Over time, you'll develop the ability to distinguish between the smell of normally fermented lentil / rice batter and that of a food that has turned bad.
Add oil to a frying pan.
Drop a dollup of batter and smooth it out. Add optional veggies as this time if you're using them being diced onions, peppers, or tomatoes.
Fry on both sides until golden brown.
Eat with ketchup, other condiments, or chutneys. We eat this with sambhar which is a pigeon pea veggie stew.
These pancakes or balls (if you're using a muffin pan) do well in lunch boxes.
Since these are cooking lessons, you're left to come up with the right medley of spices, if any, you like for this staple accompaniment.
This batter keeps well in the frig and gets better over time because it ferments. So you can fry up just the amount you'll be eating.
