Crispy Daal Bhajias
These lentil fritters are deliciously crunchy and are a perfect evening snack. I like to serve these with coconut chutney, but they also work as a great accompaniment for my channa bateta recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 mug split red cowpeas/chola kunde (1 and a half cups)
- 1 mug split moong daal/green gram 1 and a half cups
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 3-4 green chillies chopped
- small bunch of fresh coriander chopped (stems separated from leaves)
- 2 tsp fresh methi/fenugreek leaves
- 1/4 tsp garlic paste
- 2 tsp salt
- oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Rinse out then soak the two lentils together for at least 5 hours, preferably overnight.Wash and sieve out as much of the peels as you can, they will mostly float to the top when you rub the grains. You might not be able to get out all the peels, but that’s absolutely ok. Even if some remain, it’s fine, that will make you bhajias/fritters even crispier. Wash and change the water several times until you’re satisfied that the grains are clean and the water is clear. Remember to check for stones that will sink down to the bottom of the bowl during washing if you bought the freshly weighed-out variety.
- Put the cleaned and drained lentils in a colander to drip out all the water, then add the roughly chopped onion, coriander stems (save the leaves for later), and green chillies.Now using a food processor, grind these together to make a rough mixture. Do not add water whilst doing this unless you absolutely have to, and then also just add a tsp at a time until you can grind the mixture! Turn the mixture into a bowl and add the garlic paste and salt. Mix thoroughly, then just before frying add the chopped coriander leaves and some chopped methi (fenugreek). Heat oil in a deep pan and then pick small balls of the batter using your fingertips and gently drop them into the hot oil. Deep fry on medium heat until golden brown and crispy. Drain well on tissue and serve hot.
Notes
To check for stones, fill Bowl 1 with the soaked grains and cover with water, then take a Bowl 2. Now gently with a side to side swishing motion, pour the grains with their water into the second bowl. Whenever the water starts reducing such that you can see the grains of Bowl 1, spill the water back from Bowl 2 into Bowl 1 and repeat with the swishing until all the grains have been swished into the Bowl 2. Be careful near the end, to check what is remaining in the bowl because if there are any stones, this technique will help sink them to the bottom of Bowl 1. So you can just scoop them out and chuck them. Repeat a second time just to be sure, you certainly wouldn’t want some nasty stones in your yummy bhajias/fritters!Â
it shud be a rough mixture ? Is it ok if dont add methi leaves?
Yes I prefer a slightly rough texture for crispier bhajias. And yes you can omit methi leaves.
does it matter whether you
does it matter whether you use packet beans or tin beans??
You need the beans to be raw.
You need the beans to be raw. Tinned ones are already precooked, they will not work.
is it ok if i dont use the
is it ok if i dont use the coriander and the chilli
Those two are necessary for
Those two are necessary for good flavour.
Hi can i use whole lentils bc
Hi can i use whole lentils bc idont have split one
Yes I think that should be
Yes I think that should be fine. 🙂
Can I freez this bhajias
Can I freez this bhajias batter for next time use if left some?
Best to use it within 2-3
Best to use it within 2-3 days, in which case no need to freeze, simply refrigerate it in an airtight container. Remove it from the fridge about half an hour before you need to shape and fry. Make sure to mix the batter very well before frying to fluff it back up again.
What are these split red
What are these split red cowpeas/chola (kunde) And split moong daal/green gram called in urdu pakistan?
Chola are like rajma but
Chola are like rajma but round instead of long. Moong dal are known by that name anywhere, please google to see how they look. All these must be split/crushed…not whole grains.
Aa Fauzia, i tried this
Aa Fauzia, i tried this recipe and MashaAllah the bhajias were gud but the only problem was inside the bhajia they didnt cook very well. U know i used blender and added a little of water instead of processer coz i didnt have one. Plz advice where i went wrong
Thanks. Try making them a bit
Thanks. Try making them a bit smaller and fry them on medium low heat to ensure they cook through to the inside.
Hey! Is it okay to add baking powder just like 1/4 tsp before frying?