Moong Dal Bhajiya Recipe

Ingredients
1 cup moong dal
1-2 green chillies, chopped roughly
1/2 inch ginger, chopped
pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp whole black pepper
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/8th cup water or as required
salt to taste
oil (for deep-frying or shallow-frying)

Method
Soak moong dal in enough water for about 3-4 hours or overnight. Drain the water and add the dal to the grinder. Add the chopped green chillies, ginger and asafoetida. Add water and grind to a paste.
Coarsely crush the black pepper and coriander seeds in a mortar-pestle. Add these to the ground moong dal batter. Add salt and mix well. Stir the batter vigorously for a few minutes.
Heat oil for deep-frying in a kadhai or pan.
Drop spoonfuls of the moong dal batter in medium hot oil and fry till crisp and golden.
Drain the moong dal bhajiya on paper napkins to remove excess oil.
Serve the moong dal bhajiyas hot or warm with coriander chutney, tamarind chutney or just plain tomato ketchup.

Chef’s Tip
While grinding the paste, keep it a little coarse and do not add water as bhajiyas made this way turn out to be crunchier.