Moong Dal Pakoda By Chef Harpal Sokhi
Ingredients
2 cups soaked yellow lentils (moong dal)
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp ginger, chopped
3-4 green chillies
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric
Salt to taste
¼ tsp asafoetida (hing)
2 tbsps coriander, chopped
Oil for deep-frying
For ginger tomato chutney:
½ tsp asafoetida
1½ tbsp ginger, chopped
5 dried red chillies
3 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
Salt to taste
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
Juice of ½ a lemon
For the tempering:
1 tsp mustard seeds
A pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp whole black gram (urad dal)
5-6 curry leaves
Preparation
First coarsely grind the soaked yellow lentils. Now add chopped onion, ginger, cumin seeds, red chilli powder, turmeric, salt, asafoetida, and chopped coriander. Mix all the ingredients together and deep-fry until light golden brown.
Remove the pakodas and press it with your hands or spoon and reheat oil on a high temperature. Deep-fry the pakodas again for extra crispiness and until golden brown, keep it aside.
For the tomato and ginger chutney, heat oil in a pan and add asafoetida, chopped ginger, dried red chillies, tomatoes, and salt, mix it nicely. Add coriander powder and red chilli powder and cook it until the tomato turns pulpy.
Remove the mixture in a bowl and let it cool. Then grind it to a paste.
For tempering of the chutney, heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, asafoetida, and whole black gram, and let it crackle. Then transfer the tomato and ginger paste.
Lastly add curry leaves, and lemon juice and serve it hot with pakodas.