Mangochi / Moong Dal Potli

'Mangochi' (Paneer like pieces), made from ground green gram, are cooked in traditional yogurt gravy.

Ground skinned split green gram is tied in cheese cloth to make ‘potli’, which is boiled in water to make ‘mangochi’.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup split skinned green gram lentil ( dhuli moong dal )
• 1 big onion paste
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• ½ cup yogurt
• tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 bay leaf
• 2-3 black cardamom
• Small stick of cinnamon
• 5 tbsp cooking oil
• Muslin cloth bag
• tsp lemon juice

Method:

• Wash and soak green gram for 2 hours.
• Grind it with minimum water in a fine thick paste. Add ½ tsp salt to it.

• Boil about 15 cups of water in a pan.
• Tie ground dal in a cheese cloth to make a ‘Potli’. Add this dal ‘potli’ to boiling water. (Please note that you should start making ‘potli’ only when water starts boiling).

• Boil for about 20-30 minutes till the ‘potli’ is hard from outside.
• Take out ‘potli’ from water and cool it by dipping in cold water.
• Dal will change in a paneer like structure. Remove it from the muslin cloth bag

• Cut it into 1” square pieces (mangochi).

• In a non sticking pan heat 2tbsp of oil. Fry the ‘mangochi’ in it till golden brown. Take out in a plate and keep aside.

• Add remaining oil in the same pan and heat it. When it becomes hot, add bay leaf, black cardamom and cinnamon.
• Add paste of onion, ginger and garlic; fry it till golden brown.
• Stir in tomato paste, coriander, red chili, turmeric powder, and yogurt. Cook on slow flame till masala leaves oil. Mix in garam masala and salt.
• Add ‘mangochi’ and 2 cups of water in it. Simmer it for 10 minutes. Adjust the amount of water according to your choice.

• When done, remove it from fire. Add lemon juice and take out in a serving dish.
• Garnish with chopped coriander.
• Serve it with Nan or Tandoori Roti.

Do You Know?

• Bouquet garni is a classic herb mixture used in cooking meats and vegetables. Traditionally, this mixture is tied up in cheesecloth for easy removal after flavoring.

Mirchi Ka Pakoda

Mirchi Ka Pakoda can be perfectly teamed with Masala Chai (Tea) on a cold day. If you do not enjoy heat of the chilies, make pakodas with the Banana Peppers for a milder taste.

Ingredients:

• 10 straight green chilies
• Oil for frying

For Filling:

• 2 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tbsp red chili powder
• 1 tbsp amchoor
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

For Batter:

• 2 cups besan (gram flour)
• 1 tbsp rice flour
• Pinch of hing (asafetida)
• ¼ tsp ajwain
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp oil
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Put the gram flour in a large mixing bowl with the ingredients required for the batter. Adding water, prepare medium thick batter. Keep aside for about 15 minutes.
• Mix properly all the ingredients required for filling in a small bowl and keep aside.
• Wash and pat dry all the chilies. Make one slit along the length of the chilies from just under the stem to just above the end of the chili. If you are using the hot chilies, you can reduce some of the heat by removing the seeds. For this insert the knife at the tip of chili and pluck the thick white vein in the middle along with the seeds.

• Now fill the slit in the chili with the stuffing, filling evenly one by one and keep them aside on a plate.

• Heat the oil in a kadhai or wok on medium flame. One by one dip the stuffed chilies in batter and gently drop into hot oil and deep fry until golden. Remove to a paper towel covered plate.

• Serve with some chopped onions and /or chutney of your choice.

Do You Know?

The hotness of a chili pepper is measured in Scoville Heat Units, named after the US pharmacist Wilbur Scoville. In 1912 he invented a test to measure how hot chilies could be. On the Scoville scale, a sweet pepper scores 0, a jalapeño pepper around 3000 and a Mexican habañero a scorching 500,000.

Making Parathas Method V

Method V: Fold the Edges

• Put the Whole Wheat Flour, salt and oil in a bowl and mix. Gradually add water and bind the mixture into soft dough.
• Divide the dough into equal sized balls.
• Flour a clean surface and roll each ball out into a circle about 3-4" in diameter.

• Put one tbsp of the stuffing into the center of the circle.

• Fold the edges over to cover the filling completely.

• Gently press the ball into a patty so that the edges are sealed.

• Roll out the Patti into a circle of 6-7" diameter (paratha) sprinkling whole-wheat flour on the surface to avoid sticking of paratha with rolling pin.

• Carefully place the paratha on a hot griddle or pan (tava). Allow cooking for a minute then turning it over with a flat spoon, smear a little Vanaspati ghee or oil on the top of paratha. After a minute turn it over again, and spread some more Vanaspati or oil on the other surface of the paratha also.
• Remove from the griddle, keep on an absorbent paper.
• Serve hot with yogurt, pickle and salad.

Making Paratha Method IV

Method IV: Pinching the Center

• Divide the dough into equal sized small balls.
• Flour a clean surface and roll each ball out into an oblong chapati about 8" in length and 4-5” in width.

• Now with the help of thumb and first finger pinch the centre of chapati to form dumble shaped structure.

• Place stuffing on one part of the dumble and fold the other over it.

• Press gently around the edges.

• Carefully roll out the stuffed circles into paratha, sprinkling whole-wheat flour on the surface, to avoid sticking of paratha with rolling pin.
• Heat a griddle (tawa) and place a paratha on the griddle. Flip the paratha when tiny bubbles rise on the surface. Drizzle a bit of ghee/oil on the top and spread well over the surface of the paratha. Flip the paratha again after few seconds and drizzle ghee on this surface too. The paratha is done when both sides are crispy and golden brown. Remove from the griddle and repeat with the other parathas until all are cooked.

Making Paratha Method II

Method II: Roll and Spiral

• Divide the dough into equal sized balls.
• Flour a clean surface and roll each ball out into a circle about 5-6” in diameter.

• Spread masala for stuffing evenly on the flattened surface.

• Roll it now into a cylinder shaped structure.

• Coil this cylinder into a spiral.

• and form a blob

• Flour the rolling surface lightly and very gently roll out the spiral into a flat circle about 5-6” in diameter.

• Heat a griddle and put a paratha over it. Flip the paratha when you see tiny bubbles rising on the surface of the paratha. Drizzle a bit of oil on the top and spread well over the surface of the paratha. Flip again and drizzle some more oil on this surface too. The paratha is done when both sides are crispy and golden brown.

Making Paratha Method I

Method I: Khasta Paratha

• Divide the dough into equal balls. Dust lightly the rolling surface and roll the dough balls into 7-8-inch discs.

• Apply 1 tsp oil evenly over one side. Dust dry maida over this oiled surface.

• Fold one third of the disc as shown in the picture.

• Again fold one third from the other side to form a three layered strip.

• Fold one third of the strip over other two third part.

• Fold again other one third part thus making a square which is nine layered.

• Roll out it into a paratha. At this stage you can cook it on tawa.

• If you want more layers, fold the Paratha as shown below and form a blob.

• Remember each time you have to apply some oil and dust maida over the surface.
• Flour the rolling surface lightly and very gently roll out the blob (pedha) into a flat circle about 7-8” in diameter.

Making Parathas Method III

Method III : Triangular paratha

• Divide the dough into equal sized portions and roll each portion into a ball between your palms.
• Lightly flour a rolling board and roll out each ball into a 6-7” circle. Now grease the top surface of this flattened dough circle with oil and then sprinkle flour over it. Fold the circle into half in such a way that oily surface remains inside.

• Apply some oil and then flour on the folded surface of the half circle and fold it again to make a triangular structure.

• Flour the rolling surface lightly and roll out the triangle into a flat big triangular paratha.

Making Parathas -Method VI

Method VI: Poori over Poori

• Mix wheat flour, Maida, salt, oil and knead it into smooth dough using warm water. Cover the dough with moist kitchen towel and keep aside for 1 hour.
• Divide the dough into equal sized small balls.
• Flour a clean surface and roll each ball out into a circle (like pancakes) about 2-3" in diameter.

• Place stuffing on one circle of dough

• and cover the stuffing with the other circle.

• Press gently around the edges.

• Flatten it and then carefully roll out to the size of paratha very gently (sprinkling some whole-wheat flour on the surface where it is rolled out) so that the filling does not come out.

• Heat a griddle on medium flame and place a paratha on the griddle. Flip the paratha when tiny bubbles rise on the surface. Drizzle a bit of ghee on the top and spread well over the surface of the paratha. Flip the paratha again after few seconds and drizzle ghee on this surface too. The paratha is done when both sides are crispy and golden brown. Remove from the griddle and repeat with the other parathas until all are cooked.
• Serve with green cilantro chutney and/or pickle