MOONG DAL AND BAKED SOURDOUGH PAKORAS

MOONG DAL AND BAKED SOURDOUGH PAKORAS

#SIAintheKitchen

I feel like I’m finally getting better at cooking Indian food. It’s always a struggle in terms of cooking up something delicious but the end product not tasting anywhere near what is found at the restaurants. Not saying that my food isn’t restaurant quality, but it just doesn’t have that…”taste” - you know what I mean, right?

I even paid a visit to my local Fruiticana in search for the herb blend, “asafoetida”, with no luck. I even asked for the Hindi word for it, “hing”. I’ve read that this spice blend is what makes Indian food tastes like Indian food. Ah, well…perhaps next time.

Luckily, for some reason, this moong dal and baked sourdough pakoras turned out surprisingly well. The moong dal was awesome - super hearty, healthy, protein-packed and full of flavour. The pakoras were indeed a healthy version of the traditionally deep-fried appetizer and street food, but I was surprised at how easy it was to make! Both of these enticing dishes were brought together with raita, a cucumber and yogurt sauce which I sadly can’t take any credit for!

MOONG DAL AND BAKED SOURDOUGH PAKORAS - serves 4 - 6

Moong dal

• 2 cups split yellow mung beans

• 3 tbsp ghee

• 1/2 white onion

• 7 garlic cloves

• 2” knob of ginger, peeled

• 2 tbsp turmeric

• 1 1/2 tbsp garam masala

• 1/2 tsp ground chili powder

• 3/4 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tbsp kasoor methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

• 1 hot house tomato, diced

• 4 cups vegetable stock

• 1 cup water

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• freshly ground pepper, as needed

• 1 bay leaf

Pakoras

• 1 small head broccoli, stems included, ends trimmed

• 2 small carrots, peeled

• 1/8 white onion

• 1 tbsp garam masala

• 1 cup chickpea flour

• 2/3 cup sourdough discard

• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

• flaked sea salt, for finishing

• 1/8 cup vegetable oil (spray works as well)

For the moong dal:

1. Soak the mung beans overnight in water. When ready to use, drain and set aside.

2. In a food processor, place the ginger, garlic and onion and blitz until finely chopped and almost paste-like.

3. Melt the ghee in a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add in the spices (garam masala, chili powder, cumin, turmeric) and temper for 3 minutes. (Also, just read that tempering for a dal is best to do at the end in a separate pan, then combine - oops!).

4. Add in the ginger garlic onion paste to the pan and stir to thoroughly incorporate with the tempered spices. Cook for 2 minutes to allow for the ingredients to sauté.

5. Add in the tomatoes, bay leaf, and fenugreek. Pour in the vegetable stock and season with salt and pepper. My stock is quite seasoned so I go pretty light on the salt. Add up to 1 cup of water if you prefer a looser dal.

6. Bring the dal to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 - 25 minutes or until thickened. Serve with white basmati rice and raita.

For the pakoras:

• In a food processor, chop the broccoli, carrot and onion until it is cut into shreds or small pieces. I chopped mine separately and transferred to a bowl and mixed them altogether.

• Add the garam masala, chick pea flour, cilantro and sourdough discard and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes as the vegetables may release more liquid.

• During this time, preheat your oven to 425F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Brush the parchment paper with oil. Set aside.

• With a cookie or icecream scoop, form the pakora mixture into balls and place on the cookie sheet 1/2” apart. I like to flatten mine slightly to ensure both sides are crispy.

• Once all of the batter is finished, spray or lightly brush the tops of each pakora with the remaining oil. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Sprinkle with flaked sea salt once they come out of the oven and serve with raita.