• Pick, sort, clean, and rinse the beans.
• Place in a 6 quart pot and cover with water.
• Soak the beans overnight.
• The next day, drain and rinse again.
• Place the beans into a medium pot with 5 cups of water and a teaspoon of salt.
• Cover and bring the beans to boil on high heat.
• Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the beans are tender. About 40-45 minutes. (Or 10-15 minutes in a pressure cooker or Instapot).
• If the water evaporates while cooking the beans on the stove, you can add some hot water.
• Ensure the beans are covered with at least two inches of water while cooking.
• As soon as the beans are cooked, turn off the heat and prepare the tadka (tempering).

Tadka (Tempering)

• In a frying pan, heat the oil and sauté the onions over medium heat until 3/4 brown, approximately 7 minutes.
• Add the ginger-garlic paste and the coriander, cumin, and chili powders. Stir for a minute and then add the tomatoes. Stirring occasionally until the tomato starts to curl and the moisture starts to evaporate. Approximately 3-4 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and stir in the garam masala.
• Pour the tadka into the boiled black beans and stir a few times. Add a little water to the tempering pan to scrape all the brown goodness sticking to the pan. Pour that back into the pot. 
• Set the pot back on the stove and cook for another 5 minutes so that the masala is nicely absorbed.
• Pour into a serving dish and garnish with chopped cilantro.
• Add a tablespoon of desi ghee or butter to enhance the flavors. 
• Serve with plain boiled rice or a pilaf. It also goes well with flatbreads or parathas. I enjoy it with a plain cumin pilaf or cumin-carrot pilaf.