PHARA (rice flour dumplings with chickpea filling)

Monsoons demand hot and spicy snacks. Phara (rice flour dumplings with spicy chickpea filling) is just the snack, which hits the spot in rainy evenings, served with steaming cups of chai. This dish needs some planning, but is well worth the effort. 

PHARA

(rice flour dumplings with chickpea filling)

Serves  6

Time:

Preparation: 3hrs(soaking time) + 10 mins

Cooking time: 20 mins+20 mins + 10 mins frying

Ingredients

Rice flour                                             250 gms

Gram dal ( split chickpeas)                   200gms

Green cardamom                                 2nos

Cloves                                                 2nos

Pepper corns                                       8 nos

Bay leaf                                               2nos

Cinnamon                                            ½”pc

Turmeric pdr                                       ½ tsp

Green chillies                                      4 nos

Fresh green coriander                         2tbsp chopped

Lime juice                                           1 tsp

Salt                                                     to taste

Cold water(to knead rice flour)           1/3cup

Water for boiling                                 1 ½ ltr

Vegetable oil for shallow frying

Method

Ø  Soak gram dal for 3 hrs

Ø  Drain

Ø  Heat 1 tbsp oil.  add whole spices. Add soaked dal. Add turmeric and salt to taste.

Ø  Stir for 1 minute on med flame

Ø  Add enough warm water to cover the lentils

Ø  Cover and cook on low flame for 20 mins or till dal softens and the water dries

Ø  Mash with the back of a wooden ladle when soft

Ø  Allow to cool slightly

Ø  Add chopped green chillies, green coriander and lime juice...check seasoning

Ø  Knead rice flour with ½ tsp salt and cold water to a soft dough

Ø  Put water to boil in a large pan. add 1 tbs salt and 2 tbsp oil.

Ø  Divide dough equally into 1” balls

Ø  Apply oil lightly on palm

Ø  Press to make a 2” wide, 1/4 cm thick disk

Ø  Take 2 tsp mashed dal , put in centre of disk, fold rice flour into a half moon crescent shape by bringing edges together.

Ø  Press edge to seal well. check for any gaps in dumpling. press well to seal.

Ø  Finish the dough and lentil mixture in same way, by making dumplings

Ø  Gently drop in boiling water

Ø  Boil for 15 mins. Scoop out dumplings with slotted spoon ,once they float on top

Ø  Heat pan , add oil for shallow frying

Ø  Cut dumplings in 2 cm thick slices.

Ø  Shallow fry to a golden crisp on both sides

Ø  Serve hot with green coriander chutney

nutritive Value:  Phara is a low fat snack. can be had without frying to make it fat free.

little cheat: Chickpeas can be swapped with fresh green peas for variety.

DAL – PEETHI (WHOLE WHEAT DUMPLINGS IN LENTIL SAUCE)

Monsoons were a time when green vegetables were not easily available. It was a trying time for a housewife-mother. She found it challenging to put delicious and nutritious food on the table. It was on such times, when the pantry was searched for different types of lentils. This recipe was born out of necessity and shows the resourcefulness of the woman of the house. That was then, now, this is a much in demand monsoon dish, relished by my family. We serve it hot ,while it’s pouring outside, with onion fritters, papad and pickles.

Dal-peethi : dal (lentils); peethi (dumplings)

SERVES-6

TIME:

PREP:30 MINS

COOKING:1  Hr

INGREDIENTS:

Chana dal                             50gms

Arhar dal                              50gms

Kali masoor dal                    50gms

Dhuli masoor dal                  50gms

Moong dal                           50 gms

Urad dal                              50gms

Whole wheat flour                375 gms (3 cups)

Ghee (clarified butter)           60 gms(4 tbsp)

Green cardamom                 4 nos

Cloves                                4nos

Bayleaves                             3

Cinnamon                            1”pc

Cumin seeds                        1 tsp

Whole red chillies                4nos

Red chilli powder                1tsp

Turmeric powder                1tsp

Garam masala powder         ½ tsp

Asafoetida powder              ½ tsp

Garlic                                  8 cloves

Ginger                                 1 ½ pc

Onions                                100 gms

Tomatoes                            100 gms

Green chillies                       2 nos

Vegetable oil                        30gms (3 tbsp)

Salt                                      3 tsp (according to taste)

METHOD:

·        Wash all the pulses together and soak in room temperature water for ½ hr.

·        Peel the onion, garlic and ginger , chop them finely

·        Chop the tomatoes and green chillies

·        Take a pressure cooker (5lt capacity)

·        Heat the vegetable oil

·        Add whole spices (cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bayleaves)

·        Drain soaked lentils, add to the whole spices after about 30 secs

·        Stir for a minute. Add turmeric powder and salt.

·        Add 1 ltr of hot water.

·        Cover and cook under pressure for 20 mins

·        In the meanwhile knead the whole wheat flour with 1 tbsp ghee, salt and 1 ½ cup water.

·        Open the lid of the pressure cooker. The lentils should have been cooked by now. Mash the lentils very lightly with the back of a wooden spoon

·        Put the lentils back on low fire

·        Fashion dumplings (max thickness ½ cm) in interesting shapes, out of the flour

·        Drop them one by one in simmering lentil mixture

·        Keep stirring after every 2-3 mins

·        The dumplings would have cooked in 15 mins time.check

·        The consistency should be of cream soup. If you feel it’s too thick, add some hot water

·        Take off flame

·        Heat ghee in a pan, add cumin seeds, asafoetida powder, chopped, ginger,  garlic, onions and green chillies

·        Stir till caramalised

·        Add the coriander powder, chilli powder and chopped tomatoes

·        Cooked till tomatoes soften. mash well

·        Temper the ‘dal-peethi’ with the onion tomato mixture

·        Sprinkle garam masala powder. Mix well. Serve hot.

NUTRITIVE VALUE : lentils a great source of proteins and roughage. 

little cheat : if you cannot find so many lentils in your pantry , feel free to use as many as you have and you can happily substitute one for another. just ,take care about the total measurement.

NIMONAA (GREEN PEA CURRY)

Winter season begins in late October, early November in north India. With that come fresh peas, sweet, soft and luscious green. The markets are laden with mounds of this farmer’s bounty. One found womenfolk sitting around a mound and shelling the pods while indulging in cheerful banter,soaking the soft winter sun. Children were always found running away with fistful of these green pearls, chided happily by the elder women. “Nimonaa” was a dish which would herald the advent of winters. Hot nimonaa on rice is still a favourite winter lunch dish, much enjoyed by my family.

Little cheat – if you’re feeling lazy and do not wish to shell peapods, you can gladly open a packet of the frozen ones, defrost and make the dish.In which case you need not wait for the winters to enjoy this dish.

 

Recipe for NIMONAA ( green pea curry)

Serving :6

Prep time: 45 mins

Cooking time : 45 mins

Ingredients:

Fresh green peas             ½ kg

Onions                            200 gms

Garlic                              50 gms

Ginger                             50 gms

Tomatoes                        150 gms

Badi*                              50 gms

Bay leaf                           2 nos

Coriander powder           2 tsp

Red chilli powder             2 tsp

Turmeric powder             1 tsp

Green coriander               2 nos

Cloves                             3 nos

Cinnamon                        1” pc

Nutmeg                           ½ cm pc

Whole red chilli                2 nos

Mustard oil                      75 ml (1/2 cup)

Ghee (clarified butter)       1 tbsp

Hot water                         3 cups

Sugar                               ½ tsp

Salt                                   to taste (approx 1 ½ tsp)

Method:

Ø  Shell peas

Ø  Put away a fistful and grind the rest of the peas to a coarse paste (do not add any water) this can be done in a food processor.

Ø  Grind the onions into a fine paste

Ø  Grind ginger garlic to a fine paste

Ø  Dice  tomatoes

Ø   Dry roast the whole spices (Green coriander, Cloves, Cinnamon and Nutmeg) in a pan and grind to a fine powder

Ø  Heat a heavy bottom pan

Ø  Add mustard oil. Heat to smoking point

Ø  Lower heat.Break the badis* into large chunkks. Add broken badi*. Fry till golden brown. Drain on paper towel.

Ø  Add bay leaves and sugar

Ø  Add ground onion as soon as the sugar starts caramelising

Ø  Fry on medium heat till the onion paste dries and changes colour to light brown.

Ø  Add diced tomatoes.fry till they turn into a paste and oil floats on top

Ø  Add ground peas

Ø  Fry on low heat, covered. Keep stirring every 2 mins.( the mixture tends to stick to the bottom of the pan. Keep scraping the residue. This will lend a beautiful roasted aroma to the dish) this process will take 20 mins.

Ø  Add ginger garlic paste. Coriander powder, chilli powder. fry for another 5 mins

Ø  Check if the paste has oil residue on the sides.

Ø  Add whole peas and fried badi*

Ø  Fry for 2 mins.Add salt to taste

Ø  Add hot water

 Ø  Boil. Lower flame.Simmer for 10 mins

Ø  Add the ground whole spices. Simmer for another minute and take off from flame.

Ø  In a pan heat the ghee ( clarified butter) add whole red chillies. Temper the Nimonaa. Close lid immediately.

Ø  This dish is best served with plain boiled rice.

*Badi - is a sundried condiment, made of urad (blackgram) dal,with spices. Badi is easily available at local grocery stores. 

Nutrition value

Peas are high in fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, and lutein. Dry weight is about one-quarter protein and one-quarter sugar.