Barley Khichdi / Spicy Barley - Lentil Stew

(This was originally published on 3/13/2011.)

When trying out new grains and that too when I am not sure how well our palates are going to receive the new textures, I prefer to go back to my own cuisine to borrow ideas. The south Indian cuisine, the familiar zone seems so comforting and forgiving like a mother. When I have to deal with the unfamiliar grains for the first time, I prefer to combine the typical ingredients used in my (south Indian) kitchen and add spices for more layers of flavor. This barley dish is a proof of it.

Though barley is available in India, it was never used in my mother's or any relatives' kitchens. I used barley for the first time when I prepared this barley - raisin bread. The barley I have been left with has gone in to the preparation of typical Indian style dishes.

Barley has a chewy texture when cooked that I am not very fond of. I have therefore allowed the barley to cook until it reached a fall apart stage, where you don't feel its texture at all. As I mentioned above, this dish relies on South Indian style cooking and is somewhat a cross between Karnataka's Bisibelebhath and Tamilnadu's Kadamba Saadam. I simply called it a khichdi since I didn't want to wreck my brains in search of a perfect name for this dish. This was a wholesome, healthy and hearty meal that was liked by everyone at our home.

 Ingredients: (Yield - 4 servings)
1/2 cup barley
1/2 cup pigeon peas / toordal
1 cup chopped mixed veggies (I used carrots, green beans, potatoes, peas)
A pinch of ground turmeric 
Salt to taste
2 to 3 tbsp. thick tamarind juice (extracted by soaking about lemon sized tamarind in water) 
Ingredients for seasoning:

2 tsp. ghee / oil

1 tsp. mustard seeds

A sprig of curry leaves
Ingredients for spice powder:

2 tbsp. split chickpeas / bengal gram / chanadal

1 tbsp. skinned black gram / uraddal

1 tbsp. coriander seeds

1/4. tsp fenugreek seeds / methi seeds, 

6 - 8  or to taste, dried red chilies, 

2 tbsp. grated dry coconut 

3 - 4 black stone flower / dagad phool / rathi puvvu

Directions:
* Soak barley for at least an hour and this step is optional if you are using a pressure cooker. 
* Add barley, lentils, vegetables, turmeric powder and about 2 cups of water to a pressure cooker and cook until done. If you cook rice for 3 whistles, then let this go for 12 - 15 whistles.
* Meanwhile, add split chickpeas and skinned black gram to a small pan and dry toast them on medium flame. Continuously stir them , until they start to change the color. Transfer them onto a plate. Next add coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, red chilis and stone flower to the same pan and dry toast them on low flame until coriander seeds start to change a shade darker. Add the coconut and turn off the stove. Transfer them on to the plate. Once cool, grind them finely. 

* When the cooker's valve pressure is gone, remove the container, and check the barley consistency. If you wish to cook it further, add the mixture to a pan. Add water as needed and cook further until the desired consistency is reached. Also if you prefer your veggies crunchier, you can cook them separately instead of adding them to the pressure cooker.
* Add salt, tamarind puree and the spice powder to the barley mixture. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Simmer the mixture for a couple of minutes more.
* Heat the ghee / oil in a pan. Toast the mustard seeds and curry leaves and add to the barley mixture.

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Menthula Pappu / Andhra Style Lentil Preparation with Fenugreek Seeds

I being an Indian and vegetarian, eat legumes in one form or another on a daily basis for my protein quota. And I  therefore keep showcasing 'traditional' dals (Indian lentil recipes) regularly here. When I peeked recently at the 'dals' category in my blog, I realized some needed tweaking in terms of content and some posts needed better images. Here is one such post which needed some fixing and was originally posted in July, 2010. This dal used to be a regular one in my mother-in-law's kitchen and now loved by even my kids at our home.

Today's dal is a healthy and rather an uncommon one from Rayalaseema area of Andhra Pradesh, called menthula pappu. As the name suggests, menthulu or fenugreek seeds is the star in this traditional recipe. It should not be confused with the dal prepared using fenugreek greens / methi leaves. Unlike most of the dals, this does not require any vegetables and gives the fenugreek seeds an opportunity to shine. 

And no, the dal is not bitter because of the fenugreek seeds used. The fenugreek seeds soften once they are cooked and it is hard to notice them while eating. If you are one of those who soak their lentils before cooking, just remember not to soak the fenugreek seeds as well as they lend bitterness to the dal. The taste of the finished dal is uniquely flavorful and refreshes your taste buds. 

Ingredients:
1 cup pigeon peas / yellow lentils / toordal
3 tbsp. fenugreek seeds
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 tsp, spicy variety chili powder or to taste
1/4 cup watery tamarind puree (Soak 1/4 cup tamarind in water for an hour or place in a microwave with little water for about 3 minutes. Then squeeze the juice adding a little if needed. The leftover tamarind puree can be refrigerated and used within 2 days.)
Ingredients for tadka: 

1 or 2 tsp. oil

1 tsp. mustard seeds

1 tsp. cumin seeds

A sprig of curry leaves

2 pinches of ground asafoetida

Cooking:
1. Wash the lentils and fenugreek seeds with two exchanges of water and throw away the cloudy water. Then transfer the lentils and fenugreek seeds to a container. Add about 2 cups of water and turmeric to it. Place the container in pressure cooker, close the lid and put on the valve. Pressure cook the lentils until 3 whistles or until done.  
Alternatively, the lentils can be cooked in a pan on stove top, stirrng frequently. Add water as needed and cook until the lentils turns mushy.
2. Remove the dal from cooker and mash it slightly with the back of a ladle. 
3. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When mustard seeds start to splutter, add curry leaves and asafoetida. (This tempering can be done at the end and added to the cooked lentils.) 
4. Then add the mashed lentils, salt, chili powder and tamarind puree to the pan and mix well. Add some water if the mixture appears too thick. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. 

5. Cook  on medium heat setting until it starts to boil and then turn down the heat setting to low. Cook for a couple of minutes more and turn off the stove.

* Serve it warm with some hot steamed rice and a tsp of ghee.

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A - Z Idli Series ~ G for Greengram Idli

So far in this idli series,

D for Dal Idli

E for Elaneer Idli

F for Foxtail Millet Idli

I have started a 'A - Z' Idli' series last month and it's turn for the alphabet G today. For the uninitiated, idli is an iconic breakfast dish from the south Indian cuisine, made with a fermented batter of rice and skinned black gram. Idlis taste bland on their own but make a delicious meal when served along with a chutney (usually a coconut based one), sambhar - a lentil preparation and podi - a spicy lentil powder.

Today's idli is a protein rich and nutritious option for breakfast which I prepared on a whim sometime ago using my pesarattu batter. I have always felt that pesarattu is something that you either love or hate. These green gram based pancakes from Andhra are mostly loved in the coastal regions than the rest of the state. I have no problems with pesarattu whereas my husband is not a great fan of those. Why I am mentioning it here is that it applies to these idlis as well. If one doesn't mind pesarattu then these greengram idlis taste fine as well since the batter used in both cases is the same one. My husband surprisingly did not mind the flavor of these idlis.

Here is another version of green gram idli that I posted a while ago that contains rice and black gram as well. These idlis were made with just green gram alone and no rice / idli rava or black gram went into the preparation. In this version, the green gram is soaked for a few hours and then ground with ginger, chillies and salt. The batter needs no fermentation, making this idli an instant version. The green gram can be soaked previous night and ground in the morning for breakfast. Stir in Eno's fruit salt into the batter just before preparing idlis.  

These guilt-free idlis are obviously healthy, gluten-free and diabetic-friendly.  Grease the idli moulds with oil instead of ghee, if following vegan diet. They make a filling and enjoyable meal when served along with chutney and sambhar. 

Ingredients: (Yield - 12 idlis)
1 cup green gram / sabut moong / pesalu

1 inch piece of ginger

2 green chilies

Salt to taste 

1 tsp. cumin seeds

1 tsp. fruit salt / 1 Eno's sachet

Ghee / oil for greasing the idli moulds

Directions:

* Rinse and soak green gram for about 3 to 4 hours in sufficient water.

* Drain the water used to soak the green gram. 

* Grind the soaked green gram, ginger and chili in a blender, adding a few tablespoons of water if needed. (I added 2 tbsp. of water to grind the ingredients.)

* Transfer the ground batter to a container. Add salt and cumin seeds to the batter and stir to combine.

* Grease the idli plates with ghee / oil. 

* Heat water in an idli cooker / pressure cooker base or in a steamer.

* Add fruit salt to the batter and sprinkle some water over it. Gently stir the mixture to incorporate the fruit salt into the batter. (Add fruit salt just before steaming idlis.)

* Spoon the batter into the greased idli moulds and place the idli stand in the cooker / steamer and close the lid. Don't use the pressure valve if using pressure cooker. 

* Steam on low medium flame for about 20 minutes or until done. (When you touch the tops of idlis with moist fingers, the idlis should not stick.)

* Wait for about 5 to 10 minutes and remove the idlis by running a spoon around the edges. 

* Drizzle a spoon of ghee over the idlis and serve with chutney and/or sambhar.

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Suruttai Poli

(These were originally posted as part of Indian Cooking Challenge during March 2011.)

If you landed here hoping to get a poli recipe, you are surely in for a disappointment. However, hang on, hang on. Don't move away. I promise you that you are going to get introduced to another South Indian delicacy, suruttai poli. Srivalli, the creator of Indian Cooking Challenge chose suruttai poli for this month's challenge. When she mentioned that they are the rolled polis, I wasn't sure why the polis need to be rolled. 

When I went through the recipe and tried it, what do I realize? They are not polis / bobbatlu in any angle, but are kajjikayalu in a different avatar. Instead of being crescent shaped shells, they are presented as rolls. One of the Indian sweets we do like and enjoy. A delicious deep fried crisp roll with a cardamom scented sweet filling - that is suruttai poli for you in a nutshell. The process was simple and very easy to prepare (at least for me). Next time I would like to try with a coconut or nut filling.



Recipe Courtesy: Nithya's mom

Ingredient: (Yield - 10 polis)
1 cup all purpose flour / maida 
A pinch of salt
1 or 2 tbsp. powdered sugar for dusting
1/2 cup oil for deep frying

Ingredients for the stuffing:

1/2 cup roasted gram / pappulu (The one used to make the chutney.)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp. grated dry coconut
2 tbsp. coarsely chopped cashews
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1 tbsp. ghee
(And keep some paper towels handy.)

Preparation of stuffing:
1. Heat ghee in a pan. Add the cashew pieces and toast until they turn golden brown. Remove them onto a plate with a slotted spoon. To the same ghee, add the grated coconut and fry for a few seconds and turn off the stove. Let cool.
2. Powder roasted gram, sugar and cardamom together. Add the coconut - cashew mixture to it and mix well. The stuffing mixture is ready now. The stuffing can be made in advance and stored so that poli making process is a breeze.

Preparation of polis:

1. Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add water gradually and make a firm dough, as you do for rotis / pooris. Cover and rest the dough for at least 30 minutes.
2. Pinch about a big marble sized dough and roll out as thin as possible, into a circle of about 5 inches diameter. Prick the disc randomly using a fork so that it won't puff up during the frying process. You don't want to deal with puffed up pooris in this recipe and pricking takes care of that. The circle should be bigger than your typical poori and repeat the same with the remaining dough. 

3. Spread the rolled discs on a wide plate and allow them to air dry for about 10 minutes. 
4. Now comes the frying part. Heat oil in a kadai or a pan. Add a pinch of dough to the oil and check whether it swims immediately to the surface. If it does, then lower the heat to medium setting and slowly drop a disc. As soon as it appears cooked and bubbles start to show up, flip using a large perforated spoon and fry for a few seconds and remove it taking care to drain the oil using that spoon. It should not be fried till it starts to change color to a brown hue like a poori. It should be just done, still maintaining the creamish hue. Also if fried longer, they would become brittle. (I placed the fried disc between two paper towels and patted it to remove the extra greasiness. This way, it was also be not hot to handle while stuffing.)
5. Sprinkle some powdered sugar on a platter and place this fried disc on it. Add about 3 tbsp. of the stuffing mixture along one edge of the disc. Start rolling from that end where the stuffing has been added and form a tight roll. 

6. Place the rolled poli on a plate with the seamed end facing downwards. Let cool. Repeat the same with the remaining discs.
7. Once cool, they become crisp. I just decorated with nuts, coconut and saffron and this is entirely optional. Store them in an air tight container.

Notes:
They are very easy to prepare. The only points to remember are
1. Discs need to be fried only until done with out changing the color. Few seconds on each side, that's it. A little longer would result in brittle discs.
2. The discs need to be rolled immediately since rolling becomes impossible when they are let to cool down.

3. If you are trying to prepare a large quantity of polis then try to make them in small batches.

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Bafauri ~ A Steamed Lentil Based Snack

So far in the series,

First week - Sweets
Malaadu / Hurigadale Unde
Dry Gulab Jamun
Coconut Burfi / Kobbari Mithai
Almond Halwa / Badam Halwa
Elaneer Payasam
Godhuma Sojjappalu

Second week - Snacks from Gujarat
Damni Dhokla
Doodhi Muthia / Lauki Muthia
Dal Pandoli

Sev Khamani

Methi Khakhra

Pressure Cooker Khandvi

Now I am into third week of blogging marathon with the theme of Indian sweets and snacks. This week is going to be about some snack recipes of my choice and I am in central India for my dish today. There seems to be at least one locally popular steamed snack in every state, I realized while exploring for steamed Indian snacks. Today's recipe is one such regional dish called bafouri,  from the states of Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh. A coarsely ground batter of split chick peas / chana dal is used to make bafauri making it a very healthy and guilt free snack. Pronounced as buff-ou-ri, this snack is vegan, gluten free, grain-free and a great option for diabetics too. It can be served along with green or sweet chutneys or even some ketchup. Add some vegetables if you prefer to make it more nutritious though the traditional version doesn't use any. Bafauri pieces are also used in a local curry preparation called bafauri ki subzi. Masoor dal (Red lentils) or moong dal seem to be the alternatives for chana dal in this recipe but I am wondering if masoor dal can hold the shape.

Bafauri preparation needs some planning since chana dal needs to be soaked for 2 to 3 hours. It is then ground with other ingredients  into a thick batter. Then small portions of batter are scooped onto the steamer plate using fingers or a spoon, without trying to shape them, somewhat similar to wadi making. They are then steamed until they are cooked through. The pieces can be eaten as it is which makes it a oil-free dish. Or lightly sauteed in some tempering. It is not needed to fry them until golden brown or slightly crisp like fried muthias. I enjoyed both the versions but my husband fried his portion until crisp.

Traditional bafauri have quite rustic look and doesn't look like mine do but I have stuck to the original recipe differing only in the way of shaping them. Bafauris are not shaped as rolls but I did it so to handle them easily and mine are similar to muthias in looks. They can also be prepared in an idli stand if one prefers but I had to add about 1/2 cup water for the batter while shaping them into idlis. Grind adding without water or only as much as needed if scooping them as tiny portions. We enjoyed them shaped into rolls compared to the idli shaped ones. The rolls were even good to eat without any tempering. These can be served as a snack or even as a light meal. Turmeric seems an optional ingredient since some of the bafauris I saw online were not vibrantly yellow hued. I did not add any turmeric to the bafauri I made in the idli stand. I got about 10 bafouri when I used an idli stand and about a dozen oblong shaped rolls. There will be more bafauri if just scooping out small portions.

Source: Here
Ingredients for bafauri:
1 cup chana dal (Masoor / moong dal can be used.)
2 - 3 green chillies (The variety I used were spicy.)
1 inch piece of ginger (optional)
1 tsp. carom / cumin seeds
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
1/4 cup minced cilantro
1 onion, finely minced (I added fried ones.)
3 to 4 garlic cloves (I didn't add any.)
Ingredients for tempering:
2 - 3 tsp. oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
2 dried red chillies, broken into bits
1 sprig of curry leaves

Directions:
* Rinse and soak chana dal for 2 to 3 hours. 
* Drain the water completely. Add chana dal, chillies, ginger and grind the mixture to a blender or food processor, Grind them together adding as little water as needed. (I used a food processor, ground the batter coarse and did not add any water. If the batter is ground without water then shaping them into rolls would be easier.  However traditionally the bafauri batter is dropped by spoonfuls into the steamer plate rather than making as rolls.)

* Add carom or cumin seeds, salt, turmeric, cilantro, onion and garlic if using to the ground batter and mix well to combine.

 * Bring water to a boil in either a steamer or a pressure cooker base. Make oblong shaped bafauris out of the batter. If going the traditional route, drop spoonfuls of batter onto the steamer plate or a container that you are going to use to place in the cooker or even an idli stand. (1/4 cup of water may be used to grind the batter if dropping by spoon.)

* Steam them until a tooth pick / knife inserted at the center comes out clean.

* These were good to eat just like this after steaming, making them an oil-free snack. These reminded me nuchinnunde of Karnataka.

* Heat oil in a pan add mustard seeds. When they start to crackle, add curry leaves and chillies. Saute for few seconds.

* Add steamed bafauri and gently saute them for a couple of minutes. There is no need to brown them but one can always do do if preferring that way.

* Here is the final dish ready to serve. Steamed, tempered and slightly sauteed bafauri. They look greasy in the images but they were not.

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Damni Dhokla

So far in the series,
Malaadu / Hurigadale Unde
Dry Gulab Jamun
Coconut Burfi / Kobbari Mithai
Almond Halwa / Badam Halwa
Elaneer Payasam
Godhuma Sojjappalu

It's time for snacks after last week's overdose of sweets.This is the second week of mega marathon where six savory snacks' recipes from one particular state need to be posted. I chose to go with Gujarat, simply because it is the land of farsaans but decided to stick with some light snacks. The first one in the series is 'Damni dhokla', that can be loosely translated as a savory steamed cake made with fermented rice, millet and lentil batter. These dhoklas seem to come from the southern part of Gujarat and is not a well known one in the other regions.

'Dhokla' is the most popular snack from Gujarat, even outside the region. There is khaman dhokla - an instant version which is the most common, yellow hued one made with chickpea flour, khatta dhokla / white dhokla made with rice and split black gram, idra - prepared using idli batter, vateli dal na khaman using batter made with Bengal gram / chana dal. And of course there are other new versions like corn dhokla, semolina dhokla,  poha dhokla, sandwich dhokla and so on. Dhokla can be a breakfast, tea time snack or even pass as a light meal.

Other dhokla recipes posted here.
Corn dhokla
Khaman
Live dhokla
Microwave dhokla
Nylon khaman dhokla sandwich
Poha dhokla
Sandwich dhokla
White dhokla

This damni dhokla has been on my 'to do' list ever since I saw it on Tarla Dalal's site and this seemed to be a right time to try it. Damni dhoklas are traditionally made in cones, fashioned using almond or banana leaves which would impart their aroma to dhoklas and I was particularly attracted to the cone shaped individual dhokla pieces. I have seen my paternal grandmother using almond leaves from her backyard tree stitching plates to eat in but I wasn't sure that I could make leak proof leaf cones even if I could procure them. And so, I chose to make them in individual cups though they could be made in a regular dhokla pan or any deep rimmed plate. 

This dhokla is not an instant version but needs some advance preparation. The dals and rice are washed, dried and coarsely grind to use in the recipe. The mix can be prepared in large quantities by sending the ingredients to a flour mill or a store bought mix can be used instead. I chose to soak and coarsely ground the ingredients into a batter. The batter needs to ferment before usage and the fermenting time may depend on weather, ranging anywhere between from 4 hours to overnight. The black chickpeas are soaked overnight, cooked and added to the batter as well. Methia keri sambhaar, the traditional Gujarat pickle masala is also an interesting addition to the batter. I prepared a small quantity of that masala at home. However in lieu of it, masala from any pickle jar should work fine too or can be left out from the recipe. The sweet - spicy flavors are subtle in this dhokla and they went well with a sweet chutney. These dhoklas do not need any tempering or garnishing but I did them anyway.

Ingredients for dhoklas:
2 tbsp. chanadal (split Bengal gram)
2 tbsp. toor dal (pigeon peas)
2 tbsp. urad dal (split black gram)
2 tbsp. yellow moong dal (split yellow gram)
1/2 cup parboiled rice (I used idli rice.)
1/4 cup millet flour (bajra flour)
1/4 cup sour yogurt
1 tbsp. methi keri sambhar / methia no masala
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. chili powder
2 tbsp. grated jaggery
Salt to taste
2 tbsp. soaked and boiled brown chickpeas (kala chana)
1 tsp. Eno's fruit salt
6 - 8 banana leaves, cut into squares if using

Ingredients for tempering: 
2 tsp. oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. white sesame seeds
Few curry leaves

Ingredients for garnishing:
Minced cilantro
shredded fresh coconut
Methi masala

Directions:
* Rinse the dals and rice thoroughly, drain and spear on a clean cloth to dry. Coarsely grind the mixture in a blender and keep aside. Add sour yogurt and about 1/4 cup water and mix well to make a thick batter. 
Or 
Rinse and soak rice and dals in water for about 4 hours. Drain and grind the mixture coarsely adding yogurt and 1/4 cup water. (My batter became runny with this much quantity of liquid and I added some millet flour to thicken it. I wasn't sure whether more liquid is needed to mix the dry ingredients compared to the ground batter or the batter was supposed to be loose. In case if you don't want to use millet flour for some reason, add water only if and as needed. The batter should not be runny as pancake batter.)
* Allow it ferment for about 4 - 6 hours. The batter didn't rise as idli / dosa batters would. (I had to ferment overnight.)
* Add methia keri sambhaar, jaggery, chili powder and salt and mix well. I added some turmeric powder and boiled chickpeas at this point.

* Heat the steamer / cooker base with water to steam. Add fruit salt and 2 tsp. water over the batter, just before steaming.

* Mix gently when the bubbles form and keep aside.

* Grease a dhokla plate or cups if using.  If using leaves, roll each leaf into a cone and secure the edges with a tooth pick. Add some boiled chickpeas in each cone and pour batter over them. 

* Pour the batter and steam until a tooth pick inserted at the center comes out clean.

* Meanwhile, heat oil for tempering and add mustard seeds, sesame seeds and curry leaves. When mustard seeds start to pop, turn off the heat. Pour them over steamed dhokla evenly.
* Garnish with coconut, cilantro and a pinch of methi keri masala on each piece just before serving. 
* Serve them hot. I served them with sweet chutney.

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A - Z Indian Street Foods ~ W for White Dhokla / Safed Dhokla / Khatta Dhokla

White dhokla aka safed dhokla, khatta dhokla and idada is a classic snack recipe from the state of Gujarat. It is not an instant version like the yellow one that is prepared with chickpea flour. Instead these healthy and nutritious dhoklas are prepared with a ground and fermented batter of rice, black gram, yogurt and spices. These steamed rice-lentil cakes are quite light and airy and make a great gluten free breakfast or snack. 

These can be prepared with black gram and rice used in a proportion of 1:2 or 1:3. Or if you are used to making idli batter, feel free to use it. Any rice will do here. As the title indicates, khatta dhoklas means sour dhoklas and they are sourer and spicier than idlis. Thanks to the use of sour yogurt / lemon juice and spices to the batter. In short, these are like the spongy south Indian idlis with a twist. We have recently become fans of these white dhoklas. 

Ingredients:
1 to 1.5 cup rice (I used idli rice)
1/2 cup urad dal / skinned, split black gram
1/4 cup sour yogurt
Salt to taste
1.5 tsp. grated ginger / ginger paste
1.5 tsp. green chili paste
1 tsp. oil
1 tsp. lemon juice (Use only if needed.)
1 Eno's fruit salt packet / 1/4 tsp. baking soda
Crushed pepper corns / red chili powder
Method:
* Rinse and soak rice and urad dal together for about 3 hours. Drain and grind into a thick, smooth batter adding yogurt. Add water if needed. The batter should resemble the idli batter.
* Transfer the batter to a container big enough to hold it in when raised during fermentation. Add salt to the batter and mix well. Cover the container and leave it to ferment in a warm place overnight. (If you live in warmer places, about 6 hours should be enough for fermentation. If you live in colder places, leaving the batter covered in a lighted oven would help.)
* Check the batter in the morning to see if the fermented batter is sour enough. If not, add the lemon juice and stir. (This step is optional.)
* Heat a dhokla maker / steamer or pressure cooker with water. (It should cover 1 inch of base of the container.)
* Grease a dhokla container or a wide container with 1 inch depth that can fit into the steamer. (Or a container with more depth can be used which will hold more batter and gives the height to dhoklas.)
(I used half of the batter and used a 8 inch diameter container with 2 inch depth.)
* When the water at the base of the dhokla maker / steamer / pressure cooker is boiling, add oil, ginger paste and chili paste to the batter and mix well. Finally add eno's salt and quickly stir. Pour the batter into the greased container up to 1/2 and sprinkle ground black pepper and/or chili powder uniformly. Cover the steamer with the lid. Don't put the valve on the lid if using pressure cooker. 

* Steam on low flame until a knife inserted at the center comes out clean. 
* Turn off the stove and let it rest for about 5 to 10 minutes. Gently run a spoon around the perimeter of the cooked dhokla and demould if needed. Cut into diamonds or squares. 
* Serve with green chutney or any spicy chutney.

Note:
1. One may use container with one inch depth and fill it with half the batter. It may take around 10 - 15 minutes to steam. 
I used 2 containers with 8 inch diameter and 2 inch depth which gave me tall dhoklas, for this amount of batter. It took me around 20 minutes to steam on low flame. 
2. Idli batter can be used to make these dhoklas. I used idli batter and added lemon juice to make it sour.
3. Ginger and chili paste can be directly added while grinding.
3. Skip pepper and chili powder topping and instead, one can do a garnish with spluttering mustard seeds, sesame seeds and curry leaves in hot oil and pout it over dhokla and finely top it with minced cilantro.

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A - Z Indian Street Food ~ H for Hare Chane Ki Chaat / Fresh Garbanzo Beans Salad

Today's recipe is a quick, simple and nutritious chaat. Green garbanzo bean salad is a winter street food in northern parts of India. It can be prepared using soaked and cooked dry green garbanzo beans or a for a quicker version, fresh garbanzo beans like I did. Subtly sweet and tender, fresh beans are a treat to munch on. Here, they are paired with other vegetables and are seasoned with salt, chaat masala and lemon juice for a quick snack.

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh garbanzo beans 

1 small tomato, finely diced

1/4 cup diced cucumber 

1 small onion, finely diced (optional)

1 tbsp. finely mined cilantro

1 small green chili, finely diced

Salt to taste

Chaat masala to taste

Lemon / Lime juice 

Method:

* Cook garbanzo beans adding a tbsp. or two of water in the microwave for one minute and drain.

* Add garbanzo beans, tomato, cucumber, onion, cilantro, green chili, salt and chili powder to a bowl and mix. Squeeze lemon juice over it, mix once more and serve immediately. 

So far, on this series,
A for Aloo Kabli
B for Bajra Vada
C for Chooda Matar
D for Dahi Batata Puri
E for Elaichi - Kesar Lassi
F for Fulwadi
G for Ghugni Chaat
H for Hare Chane Ki Chaat

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 87

An InLinkz Link-up

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Oats Khichdi

Here is a healthy, tasty and quick version of khichdi using oats and masoor dal. I opted for masoor dal here since it is one of those lentils that cook faster even without a pressure cooker but moong dal or toor dal can also be substituted here. This is a great recipe to try if looking for ways to incorporate oats in spicy dishes.

Ingredients: (Yield 2 - 3 servings)
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup to 1 cup masoor dal / red lentils
1 to 1.5 cups chopped mixed vegetables (I used beans, carrots and peas.)
1/8 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tbsp. ghee
1 tbsp. cashews
1/2 tsp. grated ginger
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
2 to 3 red chillies, broken into bits
A pinch of asafoetida powder
1/4 tsp. ground pepper (optional)
Salt to taste
 
Method:
* Wash masoor dal / lentils in two exchanges of water and drain. Add masoor dal, chopped vegetables, about 2 cups of water and turmeric to a sauce pan. Cook on medium flame, stirring intermittently and add water if needed. 
* Add oats and salt when the dal is cooked and continue cooking for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the oats soften.
* Heat ghee in a small pan and toast cashews until they turn golden brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon. Next add ginger to the same ghee and saute until it starts to turn golden. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chillies and asafoetida. When the mustard seeds start to splutter, turn off the stove and add it to the cooked oat - dal mixture.
* Add the toasted cashews and ground pepper to the oats and mix well.
* Serve warm with pickle and papad.

This post goes to Blogging marathon #77 under the theme "Healthy Lunches". Check out the page to read what other marathoners are cooking.

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