It is always best to soak all types of dry beans used in Indian cooking. This removes the indigestible sugars and reduces flatulence. Wash the beans and change the water 2-3 times while soaking if possible. Always soak beans in lot of water. Merely just enough water for the beans to expand will simply dry out the top layer and result in uneven soaking and affect cooking later. Uniformly soaked beans is very important in the preparation of this recipe.