Ural Dal Dumplings

Ingredients
500 gm. urad/urd/urid or black gram dal, skinless
375 gm. petha or ash gourd. If this is not available, use same amount of cauliflower flowerets, but petha is best because of it's fibre content.
125 gm. ginger
175 gm. green chillies or more
125 gm. cleaned coriander leaves, washed and drained
50-60 gm. black cardamom seeds, coarsely ground
60 gm. whole Panch Pooran
200 gm. coarsely ground red chillies
100 gm. coarsely ground black pepper
60 gm. fennel or sonf seeds, coarsely ground
25 gm. cloves, coarsely ground or pounded
25 gm. whole cumin seeds
10 gm cumin powder
25 gm. black cumin seeds
1 tsp. mace powder
1/4 of nutmeg, freshly grated
15 gm. asafetida or hing powder
15 gm. cinnamon powder

Preparation
1. Coarsely grind urad dal in a coffee grinder.
2. Soak in enough water to cover 1/2 inch above the dal and leave for a couple of hours. It will absorb water and become like a thick batter.
3. Make a shallow well in the centre, by lifting out 1/2 a cup of the mix. Add asafoetida powder in the well and cover with the 1/2 cup of mix you had removed to make the well.
4. Leave overnight in a warm place, to let it rise a little.
5. Clean, wash and chop petha or cauliflower, grate and squeeze all water out. Keep aside.
6. Grind ginger, green chillies and coriander leaves, all together, in a food processor.
7. Measure all spices into the bowl with the dal.
8. Mix all ingredients with the dal and beat vigorously. You may need to add a little water if it is too stiff. It needs to be of a stiff, dropping consistency. If you put a blob of this mix in a jug or glass of water, it should float to the surface due to trapped air. This trapped air is responsible for making the baries light.
9. Spread a clean cloth on a clean surface, like a tray in the sun. This amount needs 2 trays. You can use trays lightly greased with oil.
10. Place(drop) small blobs of about 1 inch diameter, like pakoras, onto the cloth.
11. Leave them in the hot sun, until bone dry (very dry). Store in airtight containers or plastic bags. Freezer is good, if you have a large one.