Crispy Fried Moong Dal Snack - Haldiram Style!

I was always a big fan of the Haldiram's Moong Dal Namkeen. A bag of those crispy fried moong dal to munch on and a book to read was all I wanted to relax on weekends! I wanted to replicate the snack at home and I almost dished out crispy moong dal that almost tasted like those of Haldiram's but mine looked a little more golden brown in color.

Ingredients
Split Yellow Moong Dal - 1 cup
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Instructions

1. Soak the moong dal overnight or atleast for 4 to 5 hours.
2. Drain the water and pat the dal dry with a paper towel or a dry kitchen towel.
3. In a heavy bottomed vessel, heat oil until it is piping hot.
4. Once the oil reaches its smoking point, drop in a moong dal to see if it sizzles immediately. If it sizzles immediately, then the oil is ready for deep frying.
5. Take care the oil is ready. If the oil is not at the right temperature, the dal absorbs a lot of oil. So take care the oil is at the right temperature.
6. Deep fry the moong dal in batches and remove them once they turn crispy and golden brown. It took around 20 to 30 seconds to get them done. 
7. Drain the dal in paper towels. Sprinkle salt to taste and mix well.
8. Store in airtight containers.

Note: To make things easier, I used a strain to deep fry the moong dal. I took a batch of the dal and once the oil gets hot, just dip the strain into the oil. Once the dal gets fried just lift the strain from the oil and drain the moong dal in paper towels.

This is my entry for day 7 in the 7 day blogging marathon! Check out the Blogging marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#12.

Whole green gram dal fry

This is another simple and wholesome dal recipe and another variation from the regular dal. The whole moong dal packs more nutrients. A wholesome protein source and this accompanies well with rice or rotis.

Ingredients
To pressure cook
Whole green gram/green moong dal - 1 cup
Tomato - 1 finely chopped
Green chillies - 2
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Onion - 1/2 finely chopped
Ginger garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1 teaspoon
Oil - 1 spoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Urad dal - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves 1 sprig
Coriander leaves/cilantro - for garnish
Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Soak the whole green moong dal for about 1 to 2 hours.
2. Pressure cook the dal, green chillies, turmeric powder and tomatoes with enough water for about 4 to 5 whistles.
3. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat the oil and do the tempering with the mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves.
4. Once everything starts spluttering, add the chopped onions. Saute till the onions turn translucent.
5. Then add the ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes away.
6. Add the red chilli powder and garama masala and mix well.
7. Finally add the cooked moong dal and enough water (approximately 1 cup) and bring it to a boil.
8. Simmer until the required consistency is obtained.
9. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Note: The green moong dal thickens once the dal cools down. If planning to serve after a while, stir in some hot water or add some water and heat before serving.

This is my entry for day 6 in the 7 day blogging marathon! Check out the Blogging marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#12.

Paruppu Thuvaiyal / Lentil Chutney or Dip

This is a spicy south indian chutney made with toor dal. It is so so easy to make in a matter of minutes and pairs very well with rice and a dollop of ghee or a drizzle of sesame oil. You can make it with minimal ingredients and as spicy as you like. Just enjoy!

Have you checked out the raffle for the fund drive I am supporting?

Ingredients
Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Red chillies - 3
Garlic pods - 3
Grated coconut - 2 tablespoons
Oil - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Instructions

1. In a saucepan, heat the oil and add the toor dal and red chillies.
2. Roast for about 2 to 3 minutes until the dal turns fragrant and golden brown.
3. Grind together the roasted dal, red chillies, garlic, coconut and salt into a coarse paste sprinkling a teaspoon of water while grinding.
4. Serve over rice and a dollop of ghee or a drizzle of sesame oil.

This is my entry for day 5 in the 7 day blogging marathon! Check out the Blogging marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#12.

This is my entry to My Legume Love Affair #43 started by Susan and hosted this time at Chez Cayenne and Love for Lentils hosted by Sudha

Moong dal khichdi and giveaway winner!

Here is yet another comfort food that can be made in a matter of minutes in a pressure cooker. Such one pot meals are always great when cooking for one. The husband has lunch at office and I need to find some inspiration to cook lunch for me. I tend to stay with one pot meals or easy fix lunches like sandwiches and soups. This is one such lunch I made for myself.

I have used the split green moong dal for this recipe. This can be substituted with the yellow split moong dal or the whole green moong dal as well. if using whole green moong dal, make sure to soak it for an hour in advance before cooking it with the rice.

Ingredients
Rice - 1 cup ( I used sona masoori rice)
Split green moong dal - 1/2 cup
Tomato - 1/2 roughly chopped
Salt to taste

For the tempering
Oil/ghee - 1 spoon
Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Garlic - 1 clove finely chopped
Ginger - 1/2 inch - finely chopped
Green chilly - 1
Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Instructions

1. Wash the rice and dal with water and drain the water.
2. In a pressure cooker combine the rice, dal, tomato and salt and add about 3 to 3.5 cups of water. Pressure cook until you get 5 to 6 whistles.
3. Once the pressure gets released, mash the rice and dal well with a potato masher or a wooden ladle. It should be very mushy.
4. In a saucepan, do the tempering with the ghee, jeera, garlic, ginger, green chillies and curry leaves and pour it over the cooked rice and dal.
5. Mix and serve it with pickle and papads.

Ultimate comfort food ready in minutes!

This is my entry for day 4 in the 7 day blogging marathon! Check out the Blogging marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#12.

The winner of the blog anniversary giveaway is Mythreyi of Yum! Yum! Yum! Thanks to everyone of you who participated in the giveaway and left your lovely comments :)

Yellow Moong Dal Tadka

This is a basic dal recipe. It is so simple yet so comforting. It can be made in a matter of minutes and is so versatile. You can pair it with rotis and subji or ladle of rice drizzled with ghee! Tastes best anyways. I paired this simple dal with ladies finger poriyal and raw plaintain fry and this was our weekend lunch.

Ingredients
Yellow split moong dal - 1 cup
Water 3 cups
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Green chilli - 2
Tomato - 1
Salt to taste

For the tadka/tempering
Oil/ghee - 1 spoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Urad dal - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 1 spring
Red chilli - 1
Onion - 2 tablespoons finely chopped (optional)
Hing/Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Instructions
In a pressure cooker, cook the moong dal along with the turmeric powder, green chilli, tomato and 3 cups of water for about 4 whistles. Alternately, you could cook the moong dal in a stockpot or a heavy bootomed pan, covered for about 20 to 30 minutes, until the dal turns soft. The dal could also be cooked in the microwave.
Once the dal gets cooked, add the salt and mash the dal well.
In a saucepan, do the tempering with ghee, mustard seeds, urad, dal, hing, curry leaves, onions and red chillies.
Pour the seasoning over the cooked dal and serve with rice and your favorite vegetable curry.

This is my entry for day 2 in the 7 day blogging marathon! Check out the Blogging marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#12.

This is my entry to My Legume Love Affair #43 started by Susan and hosted this time at Chez Cayenne and Love for Lentils hosted by Sudha

Tomorrow is the last day to submit your entries for the giveaway being hosted at Dil Se.. Do check it out :)