[dgrant]

I just bought an Indian pressure cooker which is great for cooking them even faster (can even skip the pre-soak if you want) and uses less energy. So far I've tried "split red lentis", "whole black urad dal", and dried kidney beans. They are super cheap and come in huge bags for $5 or so. 1 cup of these makes many servings. I started making some Indian dals using them. It's a great way to eat them, with tons of Indian spices.

The pressure cooker I bought: Hawkins 5L classic: http://www.hawkinscookers.com/1.1.1.hawkinsclassic.asp

[greenyoda]

I'm guessing you already know this, since you're referring to "urad dal" by its native name and buying it in large quantities, but others might not:

Here in NYC at least, foods like beans, lentils, rice, spices, etc. are much cheaper when bought in Indian food stores (where they're everyday staples sold in large packages) rather than in regular supermarkets (where they're sold in much smaller packages).

There are similarly good deals to be found in Chinese and other ethnic grocery stores.

[HNJohnC]

Google Phytohaemagglutinin and you will realize why you don't want to skip the pre-soak, it's for your safety not just for making them faster to cook.

[talhakhan720]

Try white urad dal as well. Personal fav of mine.