Urad Dal (Kalaier Dal)

This is the slimy one. It's white in colour and gets quite slippery once cooked. To makes matters worse, Bengalis tend to add fresh Radish to it. Though I love every bit of it, some people may think otherwise. This one is pretty easy to cook and requires fennel seeds to be tempered with, unlike the other Dals where you mostly use cumin or mustard seeds. This goes great with Alu Posto (Potato-poppy seed curry) or Alu Jhinge (Ridge Gourd - poppy seed curry). So, here it goes:

Kalai-er Dal

2 Cups of Kalai(Urad) Dal
1/2 Tsp of Chopped and crushed ginger
1 Tsp of Fennel seeds
1 Bay Leaf
1 dried chilli
A pinch of asfoetida(or hing)
Oil/Ghee
Salt
1 Tsp Sugar
1Tsp Turmeric(Haldi)

Wash the Urad Dal well in water and boil the Dal in water for 25mins. When you see that the Dal has become soft yet not dissolved, you will know that the Dal is ready to be tempered. In a separate, heavy bottomed utensil, add Ghee/oil. Let the Oil get heated. Add the bay leaf, Dry Chilli, hing and the fennel seeds. Stir for 10secs and add the ginger. Now, pour the boiled Dal. Add the Salt, sugar and turmeric. Let the Dal boil for 3-5mins. Put off the gas after that. Alternatively, you could add some radish while boiling the Dal. Trust me, it tastes really nice:)!