Green Beans Cooked With Split Peas (Farasvi Bhaji)

Pick over the dal or yellow split peas and wash. Drain and put in a small bowl. Add enough water so it covers the dal or split peas by about 1 inch. Let the dal soak for 30 minutes and the split peas for 1 hour. Drain.

Trim the ends of the beans and cut crosswise into 1/4 inch rounds. Put some water to boil.

Heat the oil in a heavy pan over a medium heat. When hot, put in first the asafetida, then, a second later, the mustard seeds and whole cumin seeds. When the mustard seeds begin to pop (this just takes a few seconds) put in the curry leaves. Stir once and put in the drained dal or split peas. Stir a few times until the dal is very lightly browned. Now put in the green beans, the green chillies, salt, sugar, turmeric, ground cumin and ground coriander. Stir for 1 minute. Turn the heat to low. Put a second pan on top of the first pan and half fill it with boiling water. (If you are using a lid to hold water, just pour as much as it will hold and replenish it now and then.)

Cook about 10 minutes or until the beans are just done. Remove the pan with the water. Add coconut and fresh green coriander. Stir to mix.