A thick, smoky dal made from roasted whole black gram — the lentils are dry-roasted until darkened before cooking, producing an intensely nutty, smoky dal unique to Garhwal. Considered the soul food of the Garhwali mountain community.
Ingredients
1 cup black gram whole (sabut urad with skin)
4 cups water
1/2 tsp turmeric
3 tbsp mustard oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
6 garlic cloves — coarsely crushed
2 dried red chilli
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1 onion — finely chopped
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
salt to taste
coriander leaves for garnish
Method
Dry roast the black gram — the defining step: Place 1 cup whole black gram in a dry pan on medium heat. Roast stirring continuously for 8 to 10 minutes until the lentils darken from black to a deep chocolate-brown, some crack open slightly and the kitchen smells of roasted nutty grain. Do not under-roast — the deep roasting is what creates the smoky, complex character of chainsoo. Remove and cool completely.
Coarsely break the roasted gram: Place the cooled roasted black gram in a mixer. Pulse 3 to 4 times briefly — just enough to break each lentil into 2 to 3 rough pieces. Do not grind to flour. The cracked pieces cook faster than whole ones while retaining texture.
Pressure cook: Place the cracked roasted gram in a pressure cooker with 4 cups water and turmeric. Cook on high for first whistle then medium for 10 to 12 whistles until fully soft.
Mash and season: Open after pressure releases. Stir vigorously. Add salt. The chainsoo will look dark-grey and very thick — much darker than regular urad dal.
Heat mustard oil until smoking: Heat 3 tbsp mustard oil in a pan until smoking. Reduce to medium.
Fry garlic: Add crushed garlic. Fry 30 to 40 seconds until golden.
Add cumin, dried chilli and asafoetida: Add cumin seeds — crackle. Add dried red chilli, asafoetida. Stir 15 seconds.
Add ginger and spices: Add ginger paste, stir 1 minute. Turn low. Add red chilli powder and coriander powder, stir 2 minutes.
Combine and serve: Pour the cooked chainsoo dal into the tadka. Stir. Simmer 5 minutes. Scatter coriander leaves. Serve with mandua roti or wheat roti.
Note: Chainsoo is considered the most distinctly Garhwali dal — made in the mountain districts of Pauri Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal and Chamoli. The dry roasting of the black gram before cooking is a technique not used in any other Indian regional lentil preparation — it produces a nutty, smoky depth unlike any other dal. Chainsoo with mandua roti is the Garhwali equivalent of what dal makhani is to Punjab — the dal that defines the food culture of a region.