Lentils, Pulses & Beans

Annam Black Gram (Urid Dal Gota) is whole urad with the skin removed, so the grains are round and white rather than black. This is the form used for batter, because it grinds to a smooth paste that traps air and gives idli and vada their lift.

Best for

• Idli and dosa batter, ground with rice or idly rawa
• Medu vada and thayir vada
• Papad and batter-based tiffin dishes

How to cook it

For batter, rinse and soak four to six hours with a teaspoon of fenugreek seed, then grind with very little cold water until light and fluffy. Combine with soaked rice in roughly one part urad to three or four parts rice, add salt and ferment overnight in a warm place. For vada, grind thick and use the batter straight away.

Pack and storage

1kg pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Udhaiyam Urid Whole Gota is whole white urad dal — the black gram with its skin removed, left whole rather than split. Creamy-white, and the grain behind idli, dosa and vada batter.

Whole gota grinds to a smoother, better-aerated batter than split urad, which is why it is the one traditionally used for idli.

Best for

• Idli and dosa batter, ground with rice
• Medu vada and uzhunnu vada
• Papad, and thick North Indian dals

How to use it

For batter, soak 4 to 6 hours with a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds, then grind with cold water until light and fluffy. Combine with soaked rice and leave to ferment overnight in a warm place.

Pack and storage

1 kg. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Udhaiyam Toor Dal is split pigeon pea — tuvar or arhar dal — the lentil that sambar is built on and the everyday dal in most South Indian kitchens. It cooks down soft and golden with a mild, faintly sweet flavour.

Best for

• Sambar
• Dal tadka, dal fry and rasam
• Kootu and poriyal, where a little dal thickens the dish

How to cook it

Rinse two or three times until the water runs clear. Pressure cook with about 3 parts water to 1 part dal for 3 to 4 whistles, or simmer 35 to 45 minutes until it breaks down when pressed. Finish with mustard seeds, cumin, dried chilli and curry leaves in hot oil or ghee.

Pack and storage

1 kg. Store in a cool, dry place in a sealed container.

TRS Toor Dal is split pigeon pea, also sold as tuvar or arhar dal. It is the backbone of sambar and of most everyday North Indian dals, cooking down to a smooth, mildly sweet golden purée.

This is the larger 2 kg pack, which suits a household cooking dal several times a week.

Best for

• Sambar
• Dal tadka and dal fry
• Gujarati dal, and rasam

How to cook it

Rinse two or three times. A 20 minute soak shortens the cooking but is not essential. Pressure cook with about 3 parts water to 1 part dal for 3 to 4 whistles, or simmer for 35 to 45 minutes until the grains collapse when pressed. Finish with a tempering of mustard seeds, cumin, garlic and curry leaves.

Pack and storage

2 kg. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Udhaiyam Green Mung Beans are whole green gram — small olive-green beans with the skin intact. They cook softer than most whole pulses while still holding their shape, and have a mild, faintly sweet, grassy flavour that takes a tempering well.

Best for

• Sprouting for salads and sundal
• Whole green gram curry and pachai payaru
• Soups, stews and thick dal finished with coconut

How to cook it

Soak six to eight hours, or overnight, before cooking. Pressure cook one cup with two and a half cups of water for four to five whistles — the beans should give under a spoon without collapsing. To sprout them, soak eight hours, drain thoroughly, then leave them tied in a damp cloth somewhere warm for a day or two, rinsing once a day. Finish cooked beans with mustard seeds, curry leaves and grated coconut.

Pack and storage

1kg pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Udhaiyam Urid Whole Gota (whole black gram) is the key ingredient for iconic dishes like Dal Makhani and Idli batter. These whole, unpolished lentils deliver a rich, earthy flavour and creamy texture when cooked.

Udhaiyam Chana Dal (split Bengal gram) is a versatile pulse with a slightly sweet, nutty flavour. Used in dal preparations, chutneys, snacks and South Indian tempering, it is a true kitchen essential.

• Split Bengal gram with nutty, sweet flavour
• Ideal for dal, chutney and South Indian tempering
  

Udhaiyam Urid Dal Split 1kg is split black gram with the skin removed, so the grains are ivory-white and cook down into a thick, sticky paste rather than staying separate. That stickiness is exactly what gives idli and dosa batter its body and what makes vada hold their shape in the oil.

Best for

• Idli and dosa batter, ground with parboiled rice
• Medu vada and ulundu vadai
• Papad dough and thick South Indian dal

How to cook it

For batter, rinse until the water runs clear and soak four to six hours with a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds. Grind with very little water, adding it a splash at a time, until the paste is smooth and light and has roughly doubled in volume. Combine with soaked parboiled rice at about one part urid to three parts rice, salt it, and leave it overnight in a warm spot to ferment. Cooked as dal, one cup takes three to four whistles in a pressure cooker with three cups of water.

Pack and storage

1kg pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

TRS Red Lentils (Masoor Dal) are split, skinned lentils with a bright salmon-orange colour that turns pale gold once cooked. They are the quickest dal in the cupboard — no soaking needed, and they break down to a soft purée in under half an hour.

Best for

• Everyday masoor dal with a garlic tempering
• Thick lentil soups and stews
• Khichdi, and thickening vegetable dishes

How to cook it

Rinse until the water runs clear. Simmer with about 3 parts water to 1 part dal for 20 to 25 minutes, skimming the foam that rises in the first few minutes, or pressure cook for 2 whistles. Stir towards the end so it does not catch on the base. Finish with ghee or oil tempered with cumin, garlic and dried chilli.

Pack and storage

1 kg. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

TRS Whole Yellow Peas are dried whole peas with the skin on — firmer and sweeter than the split kind, and they stay whole through cooking rather than falling into a purée.

Best for

• Ragda for ragda pattice and Mumbai chaat
• Matar ki ghugni and pea curries
• Thick soups, and sprouting

How to cook it

Soak for at least eight hours or overnight — unlike split peas, these will not soften properly without it. Drain, rinse, then pressure cook with fresh water for 4 to 5 whistles, or simmer for about an hour, until a pea crushes between the fingers but still holds together. For ragda, mash a portion and stir it back to thicken.

Pack and storage

500 g. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Udhaiyam Toor Dal in the 2 kg pack — split pigeon pea, the base of sambar and the everyday dal across South India. Mild, faintly sweet, and it cooks down to a smooth golden consistency.

The 2 kg size suits a household cooking dal several times a week.

Best for

• Sambar
• Dal tadka, dal fry and rasam
• Kootu, and anywhere a little dal is used to thicken

How to cook it

Rinse until the water runs clear. Pressure cook with roughly 3 parts water to 1 part dal for 3 to 4 whistles, or simmer for 35 to 45 minutes. Temper with mustard seeds, cumin, dried chilli and curry leaves to finish.

Pack and storage

2 kg. Keep in a cool, dry place in a sealed container.

Annam Split Chickpeas (Chana Dal) are husked, split brown chickpeas, noticeably firmer than toor or moong. They hold their shape when cooked, so you get distinct pieces rather than a smooth purée, with a nutty, mildly sweet taste.

Best for

• Chana dal tadka and dal with bottle gourd
• Sundal, usili and dry South Indian sides
• Grinding into vada batter and stuffing for puran poli

How to cook it

Rinse and soak for at least an hour, longer if you can, as unsoaked chana dal takes a long time to give way. Pressure cook one cup with three cups of water and a pinch of turmeric for four to five whistles for a soft dal, or three whistles if you want the pieces intact. Salt at the end. For vada or sundal, soak but do not overcook.

Pack and storage

1kg pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Annam Pigeon Peas (Toor Dal) are split pigeon peas, the yellow lentil at the base of everyday South Indian cooking. They cook down to a soft, slightly sweet purée that carries tamarind and tempering better than firmer lentils do.

Best for

• Sambar and vegetable kootu
• Everyday dal with tomato and tempering
• Dal palak, dal fry and pappu with greens

How to cook it

Rinse until the water runs clear and soak for twenty to thirty minutes, which makes a noticeable difference to how evenly it breaks down. Pressure cook one cup of dal with two and a half to three cups of water and a pinch of turmeric for three to four whistles, then mash it smooth. Salt goes in after cooking, since adding it early keeps the lentils firm.

Pack and storage

1kg pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Annam Black Gram (Urid Dal Chilka) is urad split in half with the dark skin left on, which is what the word chilka refers to. It cooks softer than whole urad but keeps more texture and a deeper, earthier taste than the skinless white dal.

Best for

• Urad chilka dal with ginger and garlic
• Mixed dal, panchmel dal and dhaba-style lentils
• Adding body to dosa and adai batters

How to cook it

Rinse until the water runs clear and soak for about an hour. Pressure cook one cup with three cups of water and a pinch of turmeric for four to five whistles, then finish with a tempering of cumin, garlic and chilli in ghee. It thickens as it stands, so keep a little hot water aside to loosen it before serving.

Pack and storage

1kg pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

TRS Black Eye Beans (Lobiya) are small cream-coloured dried beans with a black spot where they were attached to the pod. They cook faster than most dried beans and keep a creamy centre with a mild, almost savoury taste.

Best for

• Lobiya masala and black eye bean curry
• Sundal, and coconut stir-fries
• Soups, stews and bean salads

How to cook it

Rinse and pick over. They do not strictly need an overnight soak — two to four hours is plenty, and at a push you can cook them unsoaked. Pressure cook with about 3 parts water to 1 part beans for 3 to 4 whistles, or simmer for 40 to 50 minutes until tender. Salt only at the end, or the skins stay tough.

Pack and storage

500 g. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Udhaiyam Black Urid Whole are whole black lentils with a deep, earthy flavour and creamy interior. A staple for Dal Makhani, these lentils slow-cook beautifully to create rich, indulgent gravies.

• Whole black lentils with skin retained
• Essential for slow-cooked Dal Makhani
  

Annam Toor Dal is split pigeon pea, the workhorse lentil of South Indian kitchens, in a smaller pack for households that cook dal a few times a week. It softens into a smooth, mildly sweet purée and takes a mustard-and-curry-leaf tempering well.

Best for

• Sambar for rice, idli and dosa
• Plain dal with tomato, garlic and green chilli
• Kootu, pappu and dal with spinach or gourd

How to cook it

Rinse well and soak for half an hour if you have the time. Pressure cook one cup with two and a half to three cups of water and a little turmeric and oil for three to four whistles, then whisk it smooth. Add salt and tamarind only once the dal is cooked, as both slow down softening if they go in at the start.

Pack and storage

500g pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Annam Whole Ragi is finger millet sold as the whole grain rather than as flour, so the small round reddish-brown seeds are intact. Keeping it whole means you control what happens to it, whether that is sprouting, cooking it as a grain or grinding it fresh.

Best for

• Ragi mudde and ragi ambali
• Sprouting, then drying and grinding into flour
• Porridge and thick savoury gruels

How to cook it

Rinse and soak the grain for six to eight hours before you do anything with it. To cook it whole, use one cup to three cups of water and simmer for around forty minutes until tender. To sprout, drain after soaking and leave loosely covered for a day or two, then sun or oven dry completely before grinding. It is naturally gluten-free.

Pack and storage

500g pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

TRS Red Lentils (Masoor Dal) are split, skinned lentils, orange in the packet and pale gold on the plate. They need no soaking and cook faster than any other dal, which makes them the one to reach for on a weeknight.

Best for

• Everyday masoor dal
• Lentil soups and one-pot stews
• Khichdi, and soft first foods

How to cook it

Rinse two or three times until the water runs clear. Simmer with roughly 3 parts water to 1 part dal for 20 to 25 minutes, or pressure cook for 2 whistles, skimming the foam early on. Whisk briefly at the end if you want it smooth. A tempering of cumin, garlic and dried chilli in hot ghee finishes it.

Pack and storage

500 g. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

TRS Tapioca (Sabudana) are small hard white pearls made from cassava starch. Dry they are chalky and rattle in the packet; soaked properly they swell into soft, translucent beads that stay separate rather than clumping.

Best for

• Sabudana khichdi
• Sabudana vada
• Sabudana kheer, and fasting or vrat meals

How to cook it

Rinse in a sieve until the water runs clear, then soak in just enough water to sit level with the pearls — not more — for four to five hours or overnight. Done right, a pearl crushes to powder between finger and thumb with no hard white centre. Too much water and it turns to glue. Drain fully and fluff with a fork before cooking.

Pack and storage

500 g. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Neals Mix Dal is a blend of lentils in one 500g pack — the everyday shortcut for a panchmel or mixed dal, where several pulses cook together into something rounder than any single dal on its own.

Mixed dal gives you both textures at once: the softer lentils break down and thicken the pot, while the firmer ones hold their shape, so the dal has body without needing to be pureed. Finish it the usual way — a tadka of ghee or oil with cumin, dried chilli, garlic and hing poured over at the end.

Rinse until the water runs clear and soak for 20–30 minutes before cooking to even out the cooking times. Store sealed in a cool, dry place.

Udhaiyam Urid Chilka is split black gram with the black skin left on, so the grains are cream-coloured and flecked with dark husk. It holds its shape better than skinned urid and cooks to a creamy dal with a fuller, earthier flavour and a slight bite from the skin.

Best for

• Everyday urad dal tempered with cumin and garlic
• Punjabi-style dal with tomato and ginger
• Rustic dosa and vada batter where you want the flecks

How to cook it

Rinse two or three times, then soak thirty minutes to an hour to soften the skins. Pressure cook one cup with three cups of water for four to five whistles and let the pressure drop on its own — the grains should mash easily against the side of the pan. Finish with a tempering of ghee, cumin, dried red chilli, garlic and asafoetida poured over the top, then simmer a few minutes more so it thickens.

Pack and storage

500g pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Udhaiyam Mixed Lentils in the 1kg pack is a blend of several dals for cooking as one. The point of a mixed dal is the texture: the softer lentils break down and thicken the pot while the firmer ones keep their shape, which gives a result no single dal manages on its own.

Best for

• Mixed dal and panchmel-style dal
• Dal khichdi
• Hearty lentil soups

How to cook it

Rinse until the water runs clear, then soak for an hour or more. Soaking is worth the time with a mix, since the lentils in it soften at different speeds and an unsoaked batch finishes with some still firm. Pressure cook with three parts water to one part lentils for four or five whistles and let the pressure fall naturally. Loosen with hot water to the consistency you want, salt at the end, and pour over a tempering of cumin, garlic and dried chilli fried in ghee.

Pack and storage

1kg pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening, in an airtight container.

Udhaiyam Chana Dal (split Bengal gram) is a versatile pulse with a slightly sweet, nutty flavour. Used in dal preparations, chutneys, snacks and South Indian tempering, it is a true kitchen essential.

• Split Bengal gram with nutty, sweet flavour
• Ideal for dal, chutney and South Indian tempering