Horse gram, kulthi or hurali, is one of the oldest cultivated pulses in India and one of the least known outside it. Small, hard, reddish-brown, with a distinctly earthy flavour.

It needs a long soak and a longer cook, and it is worth both.

In Karnataka it becomes huralikaalu saaru, a thin peppery broth. In Tamil Nadu it turns up as kollu sundal and kollu rasam. Roast and grind it into a powder for chutney, or simply cook it into a thick soup with plenty of black pepper.

Available at Curry Corner, North Melbourne.