1,000 Indian Recipes (311 page)

1
¹
⁄
₂
cups chickpea flour (besan)

1 small onion, minced

¹
⁄
₂
cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

1 tablespoon peeled minced fresh ginger

1 to 3 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, minced with seeds

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon baking soda

1
¹
⁄
₂
to 2 cups water, as needed

¹
⁄
₄
cup peanut oil

1.
In a small bowl, mix together everything except the water and oil. Then add the water as needed to make a semi-thick batter of pouring consistency. Whip with a fork a few seconds to make it fluffy. Set aside about 30 minutes.

2.
Heat about 2 teaspoons oil in a tava or a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat until a sprinkling of water sizzles immediately. Using a metal soup ladle, pour about
¹
⁄
₄
cup batter onto the hot tava and spread it evenly into a 5- to 6-inch circle by lightly pushing the batter outwards in round, circular motions with the back of the ladle.

3.
As the pancake sets and turns lightly golden on the bottom (which happens very quickly), drizzle
¹
⁄
₂
to 1 teaspoon oil around the edges and a few drops on top and cook until the bottom takes on a rich golden hue, about 30 seconds. Turn over once and cook until the other side takes on a similar color, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a serving platter, repeat with the remaining batter, and serve hot.

Traditional Lentil Pancakes

Addai

Makes 12 to 16 pancakes

Made with a batter similar to that for
dosas
, but with a mixture of different
dals
and rice,
addai
crepes are generally smaller and thicker—more like pancakes.

Serve them with any coconut chutney from the
Chutneys and Pickles
chapter or with
South Indian Tomato Chutney
and a
sambar
(a south Indian soupy dish made with pigeon peas), if you wish.

²
⁄
₃
cup long-grain white rice, sorted

3 tablespoons dried white urad beans (dhulli urad dal), sorted

3 tablespoons dried yellow mung beans (dhulli mung dal), sorted

3 tablespoons dried yellow split chickpeas (channa dal), sorted

3 tablespoons dried split pigeon peas (toor dal), sorted

1
¹
⁄
₃
cups water, plus more for soaking the dals

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

¹
⁄
₄
cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

1 to 2 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, stemmed

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon salt, or to taste

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon ground asafoetida

3 to 4 tablespoons peanut oil

1.
Wash the rice and dals in 3 to 4 changes of water. Then place together in a bowl and soak overnight in water to cover by about 2 inches.

2.
Drain and transfer to a blender, add the onion, cilantro, green chile peppers, salt, and asafoetida, and blend until smooth, adding up to 1
¹
⁄
₃
cups water, as needed, to make a thick and smooth batter. Whip with a fork a few seconds to make the batter fluffy. Set aside 3 to 4 hours. If the batter is too thick, add more water, as needed, to make a semi-thick batter of pouring consistency.

3.
Heat a cast-iron tava or a nonstick griddle or skillet over medium-high heat until a sprinkling of water sizzles immediately. Wipe the tava and put about 1 teaspoon in the center. Then, using a metal soup ladle, pour about
¹
⁄
₂
cup batter onto the hot tava and spread it evenly into a 5- to 6-inch circle by lightly pushing the batter outwards in round, circular motions with the back of the ladle.

4.
As the pancake sets and turns lightly golden on the bottom (which happens very quickly), drizzle
¹
⁄
₂
to 1 teaspoon oil around the edges and a few drops on top and cook until the bottom takes on a rich golden hue, about 1 minute. Turn over once and cook until the other side is takes on a similar color, about 1 minute. Transfer to a serving platter, repeat with the remaining batter, and serve hot.

Yellow Mung Bean Pancakes

Mung Dal kae Chillae

Makes 12 to 16 pancakes

Chillas
are a north Indian version of
addai
and other pancakes.
Mungdal
is a popular favorite in the north, so cooks use it in all sorts of recipes, this being just one of them. Serve them with any green, sonth, or tomato chutneys in the
Chutneys and Pickles
chapter.

1 cup dried yellow mung beans (dhulli mung dal), sorted

¹
⁄
₄
cup dried white urad beans (dhulli urad dal), sorted

3 to 4 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger

1 to 2 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, minced with seeds

1
¹
⁄
₂
cups water, as needed

¹
⁄
₈
teaspoon ground asafoetida

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon ground turmeric

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon baking soda

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon salt, or to taste

¹
⁄
₄
cup peanut oil

1.
Wash both the dals in 3 to 4 changes of water. Place together in a bowl and soak in water to cover by 2 inches, about 3 hours. Drain and transfer to a food processor, add the ginger, green chile peppers, and 1 cup water and process to make a thick, smooth batter. (It will still have a bit of a grain.) Transfer to a bowl.

2.
Add the remaining
¹
⁄
₂
cup water to the food processor and swirl to remove any batter left in the work bowl and mix it into the batter. Add the asafoetida, turmeric, black pepper, baking soda, and salt, and mix well. Set aside 3 to 4 hours. If the batter is too thick, add more water, as is needed, to make a semi-thick batter of pouring consistency.

3.
Cook the pancakes as described in
Traditional Lentil Pancakes
, starting from Step 3.

Stuffed Mung Bean Pancake Rolls

Paneer-Bharae Chillae

Makes 12 to 16 pancake rolls

A filling of
paneer
cheese moves the everyday
chillas
into party fare, in the finger-foods category. Serve them as my Mumbai (formerly Bombay) friend Jaywanti Thaker does, with
Garlic and Fresh Red Chile Pepper Chutney
, or drizzle some
Yogurt Chutney with Puréed Greens
over the
chilla
rolls and sprinkle on a handful of store-bought crispy, spicy potato noodles
(aalu bhujia)
.