Ulava charu

The horse gram is boiled and then taken out, so only its broth is served.

Vegan.

Ingredients

• 300 g horse gram, ulava
• 2.5 litres water
• 3 tablespoons thick tamarind paste
• 2 onions, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 green chillies, slit
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 20 curry leaves

Method

1. THE HORSE GRAM IS BOILED AND THEN TAKEN OUT, SO ONLY ITS BROTH IS SERVED. Its article gives that in one line and it is the entire character of the dish: THE HORSE GRAM IS BOILED IN WATER WITH SALT, THEN STRAINED FROM THE SOUP BEFORE SERVING. Three hundred grams of pulse go in and none of it is on the plate. That is also why the article says the dish IS A LOCAL DELICACY, AS THE PREPARATION IS LABOR-INTENSIVE.
2. SO THE GRAM IS COOKED FAR LONGER THAN IT WOULD BE TO EAT. Soaked overnight, then boiled three hours in two and a half litres, topped up as it goes. The point is not tenderness; it is to get everything out of the pulse and into the water.
3. HORSE GRAM IS HARD AND SMALL AND NOT THE SAME AS ANY OTHER PULSE. Its article names it by its Telugu name, ULAVA, which is where the dish's name comes from. Nothing else gives that dark, slightly smoky broth.
4. STRAIN IT THROUGH MUSLIN AND PRESS THE SOLIDS. Then keep the cooked gram for something else -- it is perfectly good in a dry curry the next day, and throwing it away is the only wasteful thing about this recipe.
5. REDUCE THE STRAINED BROTH BY A THIRD BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE GOES IN. Two and a half litres down to about a litre and a half. It darkens and thickens slightly.
6. ONION, GARLIC AND CHILLI COOKED IN OIL, THEN THE GROUND SPICES, THEN THE BROTH. Not the other way round: spices stirred into liquid taste raw however long they simmer.
7. TAMARIND LAST, AND TASTE AS IT GOES IN. Three tablespoons is a starting point. This is a rasam and the sourness is the point of it, but horse gram broth is already slightly bitter and the two can fight.
8. TEMPER MUSTARD SEEDS AND CURRY LEAVES AND POUR THEM OVER AT THE END. Served with hot rice and a spoonful of ghee. Its article notes packaged ulava charu is sold across Andhra Pradesh, which is what happens to a dish that takes three hours to make.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

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