Page 8 - november 2021

LENTIL BALLS LENTIL BALLS

IN A SPICY TAMARIND SAUCE IN A SPICY TAMARIND SAUCE
INGREDIENTS FOR BALLS

1. ½ cup channa dal ( soaked for 2 hours)
2. ½ cup toor dal ( soaked for 2 hours )
3. 4-5 red chillies
4. ¼ tsp Turmeric
5. 2 spoon rice flour
6. 2 sprig Curry Leaves
7. 1½ tsp Salt

INGREDIENTS FOR SAUCE

1. 1 small lemon sized tamarind
2. Or
3. 2 tbsps tamarind paste
4. 2 spoons sambar powder
5. ½ spoon hing
6. 1 sprig curry leaves
7. 1 tsp mustard seeds
8. 1 tsp methi seeds.
9. 2-3 spoons gingelly oil

INSTRUCTION

1. Soak the tamarind in 1 cup hot water water and extract the juice
2. Soak the dals in water for 1-2 hours. After 2 hours, take small quantity of soaked dals with
the chillies,salt and hing in a mixer.
3. Once the chilies are crushed in the mixer, add the remaining dals and grind it once. The
dals should not be ground finely in the mixer, they can be coarse. Keep this aside.
4. Take the ground dal coarse paste in a bowl, add turmeric powder and curry leaves. Mix well.
Keep aside.
5. In a pan take the gingelly oil and heat it. Once heated add the mustard and methi seeds.
Let them splutter, add hing and curry leaves now. Keep the flame low and add the extracted
tamarind juice or mix the tamarind paste with a cup of water and add it to the pan. Add the
salt and sambar powder. When the raw smell of the tamarind goes off, say in 5 minutes or
so and when it’s boiling, add a cup and half of water. The sauce has to be thin in consistency
as when the lentil balls are added they will dissolve a little in the sauce, making the sauce
(sambar) thicker.
6. Make balls out of the previously ground dal paste. Take the rice flour in a small plate and
coat the dal balls in the flour. Drop them slowly into the tamarind sauce
7. Let them boil in the tamarind paste for a couple of minutes before giving a stir. If you stir
sooner the balls will break! After a couple of minutes give the balls a gentle stir.Test to see
if the balls are completely cooked by taking one of them out and breaking it with a spatula.
If the inner side is cooked we can turn off the flame.
8. Enjoy with steaming hot rice and papad!

DesiPages DFW | November 2021 VOL 33 | 8