MOONG DAL PAKODI-MATAR CURRY /PUNJABI STYLE MOONG DAL PAKODE-MATAR KI SABZI /मूँग दाल पकोड़ी-मटर की सब्जी
Whenever I get desperate with my regular sabzi preparations and want to change the menu, I would love to make this moong dal pakode ki sabzi. This rustic sabzi always gives me pleasure as we occasionally used to eat this sabzi during my childhood days. This tasty sabzi has two parts of the procedure. One is to deep fry the moong dal fritters or pakodi and then to make a curry with an onion-tomato masala base. The curry is prepared very light as this one will already have the deep-fried pakode. Sometimes I skip the onion garlic, making it with only tomato-ginger masala as a base
An addition of some fresh green peas/matar always increases the taste of this unique sabzi. To make this curry, the process begins a few hours beforehand with the soaking of moong dal for 2-3 hours. After that this dal is ground coarsely and a few aromatics and spices are mixed into the batter. The small pakode or fritters are deep-fried with this batter until they get a golden brown colour. These fritters are so flavoursome and mildly spiced as to contain onions, coriander leaves, a few regular whole and powdered spices. This crisp and tasty pakode are so tasty and inviting that you gobble many of them while frying
Let’s have a look at the recipe-:
* Moong dal pakoda curry can be prepared beforehand while the dal is being soaked. This saves the total timing)
● INGREDIENTS FOR MOONG DAL PAKODE
• Dhuli/split moong dal – 1 cup 150 gms
• Water for rinsing and soaking dal – as required
• Finely chopped onions – 1 medium
• Finely chopped coriander leaves with stems – 1 tbsp
• Ginger-chilly paste – 1 tsp
• Salt – 1 tsp
• Red chilly powder – 1 tsp
• Whole cumin/jeera – 1 tsp
• Cooking oil – sufficient enough for deep frying
● INGREDIENTS FOR PAKODE KI SABZI
• Grated onion – 1 large
• Grated tomatoes – 2 medium
• Matar/green peas – 1 cup
• Cooking oil – 2 tbsp
• Salt – 1 tsp/to taste
• Haldi/turmeric powder – 1 tsp
• Red chilly powder – 1 tsp
• Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
• Coriander powder – 2 tsp
• Water for gravy – 3 cups or to your choice of the consistency of gravy
• Coriander leaves for garnish
● METHOD FOR MOONG DAL PAKODE
1- Firstly rinse and soak moong dal for 2 hrs and grind coarsely (not too smooth)
2- Whisk well with a hand or a wire whisk until the batter becomes light and fluffy
3- Add all the ingredients written under ‘INGREDIENTS FOR MOONG DAL PAKODE and whisk again to mix nicely
4- Heat oil to medium temperature and drop small portions of batter with fingers or a spoon
5- Deep fry the fritters golden brown by turning time to time. When fried to perfection, remove from the oil and keep aside
● METHOD FOR MOONG DAL PAKODA SABZI
1- Heat oil in the saucepan and add grated onions. Stir continuously and cook until it changes colour. Next, add the ginger-green chilly paste.
2- Cook the onions and add all the powdered spices and salt. Combine everything and roast the spices
3- Add grated tomatoes and cook the masala at low flame until it leaves oil from the sides
4- Add water for the gravy. Now, add green peas/matar and allow the gravy to boil for 10 minutes or until peas get softened
5- Next, add fried moong dal pakode and let the sabzi cook for 5 more minutes by covering with a lid
6- Add coriander leaves to finish the dish and serve with roti or paratha
A FEW MORE DESI SABZI PREPARATIONS YOU MIGHT LOVE TO MAKE
MATAR-MOONGRE KI SABZI (ONION-GARLIC FREE)
CRISP KARELA-ALOO-PYAZ-TAMATAR FRIES