Isn't it great when we can prepare three absolutely different dishes , while making effort for just one .....
Today I am sharing with you one..no no actually three such ways of utilising / consuming one simple Moong daal pakodas . It has been raining cats and dogs here since the last couple of days .....perfect season for a plate of hot sizzling pakodas with a steaming cup of tea . Yesterday I made Moong dal pakodas ..and as always I made a whole lot of pakodas ( you will soon know why ).
Moong dal pakodas take a little planning in terms of having to soak the split moong dal ( yellow one) for atleast 30- 60 minutes before hand . But once you have done it ....you can sit back and relax as you can have these pakodas as starters , main dish or a very good accompaniment.
Let's start with the pakodas first , I made a whole lot of these , but here I am giving you the recipe for about 10 - 12 medium size pakodas -
Moong dal pakodas
Split moong dal ( yellow one) - 1/2 cup
Green Chillies - 2-3 ( depending on how hot you want the pakodas to be )
Ginger - 1/2 inch , chopped fine
Salt - as per taste
Baking soda - 1/2 t sp.
Red chili powder - as per taste
Oil for deep frying
Soak the moong dal in sufficient water for about an hour . Then rinse it well with water and grind in the blender with about 1 tbsp of water ( you can add a couple of green chillies and ginger while grinding also , however I like to add them later) . Grind the dal to a batter , which is grainy when you feel the texture of the batter , it should not be absolutely fine. Now pour the batter in a relatively bigger vessel and add the salt, chili powder , green chili , ginger and the baking soda . Whisk the batter briskly with hand or a flat spoon so that it becomes a little fluffy . This would make the pakodas soft and light . Heat the oil in a deep wok and once it is hot spoon the batter carefully into the oil. The pakodas would immediately rise up . Keep frying them till they become a lovely golden color . Take them out of oil and drain the excess oil by keeping them over tissue paper / kitchen towels.
Serve them hot with tomato ketchup / coriander chutney or any other sauce of you liking.
Chances are that you wouldn't be left with any left overs , but just in case you do have some pakodas left do no fret .....you can use them to make either of these two dishes .
Moong dal pakoda Curry
Dahi pakodi
I always make a lot of pakodas when I get the chance ( this happens rarely because of the concerns about getting over weight etc etc) . I make some pakodas with salt and some without salt as I use the salt less pakodas to make a wonderful curry and I find it easier to adjust the salt levels .
Moong dal pakoda Curry
Moong dal pakodas - 10-15
Onion , large - 1
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 8-9 small pods
Green chili - 2-3
Curd - 1/2 cup
Turmeric - 1/2 t sp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 t sp
Cumin seeds - 3/4 tsp
Tomato - 1 large
Salt - as per taste
Oil - 1 tb sp
Water - as required
Grind the onion, ginger,green chillies and garlic to a paste in a blender . Keep them aside.
Then grind the tomato to a paste also.
Then heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan . Once hot add the cumin seeds . As the cumin seeds splutter add the onion,ginger,green chillies and garlic paste and saute the same till it becomes translucent. Then add the turmeric and red chili powder , saute for 2 minutes till the water in the paste almost dries up . Add the tomato paste and keep sauteing till the oil starts to separate from the masala . Then slowly add the beaten curd into the masala , 1 tbsp at a time . Mix the curd well into the masala and keep sauteing the masala at low flame till oil starts to separate from it. Then add about 1 cup water to it and cover the pan. Let it simmer for 5-10 minutes over low flame till the gravy is well cooked ( keep the gravy a little thin . because when we add the pakodas , they soak up some water ) . Then add the garam masala and salt to the gravy .
( if you are using pakodas with salt then add a little less salt to the gravy and in case you are using unsalted pakodas then add a little more salt as the pakodas would soak up some salt).
While the gravy is cooking , soak the pakodas in hot water for 5-10 minutes ( this makes the pakodas soft and also helps in taking out some oil from them) . After 10 minutes , drain the pakodas and squeeze them lightly between the palms before adding them to the ready gravy .
Let the pakodas soak in the hot curry for about 15 minutes before serving .
You can garnish the curry with coriander leaves . This tastes amazing with roti/ parantas .
And last but not the least a great accompaniment to a meal .....
.Dahi pakodi...This is one of my favorite ways of having the pakodas .... even after 2-3 days of refrigeration ....just dunk the pakodas in warm water and let them soak for 5-10 minutes . In the meanwhile prepare the yogurt ....take about 2 cups of yogurt ( curd) , beat it well ,add salt , red chilli powder , roasted ground cumin powder , a little black salt ( all as per taste) ....mix it all well . I even add a pinch of sugar ( I think it makes the taste interesting) . Take out the pakodas ( about 6), squeeze them lightly between your palms and soak them in the ready curd mix. Garnish with red chili powder , cumin powder , coriander leaves . Serve them as an accompaniment or separately as chaat or snack ...they taste great !! ;-) and the best part is that no one would complain about being served left overs ;-)
