Chainsoo

चैंसू

Traditional dish from the Garhwal hills, the Garhwal region, Uttarakhand

Also spelled: chensu, chainsu

A Garhwali black-gram dal with a deep, roasted, almost smoky flavour. The urad is dry-roasted and ground before cooking, which is what sets chainsoo apart from an everyday dal, and it is traditionally cooked slow in an iron pot for its colour and iron.

Ingredients

  • •Black gram (urad dal), roasted and coarsely ground
  • •Mustard oil, cumin, asafoetida
  • •Ginger, garlic, green chilli
  • •Turmeric, coriander powder, salt

How it's made

  1. 1Dry-roast the urad dal until fragrant, then grind coarse.
  2. 2Temper mustard oil with cumin and asafoetida.
  3. 3Add the ground dal with spices and hot water and whisk to avoid lumps.
  4. 4Simmer slowly, ideally in an iron kadhai, until thick and dark.
This recipe is a general reference written for readers who want to know the dish. Quantities are to taste and every household cooks it a little differently.